


Every Wound Will Shape Me (Every Scar Will Build My Throne)

by lj_todd



Series: Some Legends Are Told [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Mpreg, Omega!Oliver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-05-06 17:46:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 60
Words: 108,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5426105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lj_todd/pseuds/lj_todd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years ago Oliver Queen died when the Queen's Gambit sank in the North China sea.</p><p>Four years ago a castaway, a lone survivor of a shipwreck, was found, alone and starving, on the shores of Lian Yu. Four years ago Al Sa-him was born in Nanda Parbat.</p><p>Now, in the wake of the devastation of Malcolm Merlyn's Undertaking, a shadowy figure has emerged in Starling City, bringing justice to criminals and protecting the innocent. Oliver Queen is dead. But Al Sa-him is alive. And he will do what was once asked of him and right his father's wrongs. He will save his city. Even if he must defy his master to do so.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [【授翻】伤痕塑我（铸我王座）](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13949430) by [Flash2017](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flash2017/pseuds/Flash2017)



_Lian Yu_  
_2008_

 

Oliver saw the ship from the cliff top and, seeing the small dingy heading for the shore, he moved quickly, leaping over fallen logs and ducking low branches. He knew the island, knew the terrain, like the back of his hand and he knew which paths would take him to the beach the quickest. He had no idea if the people landing on the island were friend or foe but, snatching an arrow from his makeshift quiver, he knew it didn't matter. They were a way off this godforsaken island.

Instead of breaking cover once he reached the beach he used boulders and beached drift wood to remain hidden. He'd learned, the hard way, that you couldn't trust anyone.

Nocking his arrow to his bow, _her_ bow, he crouched low and watched as three men and a woman climbed from the dingy. The woman, dressed in dark clothes, her inky black hair billowing in the soft breeze around her olive skinned face, was clearly the leader. She held herself with confidence and he easily picked out the knife on her belt and, from the way she stepped, the hidden one in her boot.

As the men fanned out she barked out an order, but he didn't recognize the language.

He'd picked up some Chinese and a bit of Maori during his time on the island, the only mementos left from the friends he'd buried next to his father and Yao-Fei in the clearing not far from the plane, and he knew a few phrases in Spanish, but he couldn't place the language the woman used.

When one of the men started in the direction of his hiding spot Oliver stood, bowstring drawn taught, arrow aimed.

The man stilled but there was no fear in his face. Instead he appeared curious. And amused.

The man spoke in the same language the woman had even as his comrades started to move forward, clearly intending to give aid, but stopped when the woman shook her head. The man spoke again and Oliver's gaze narrowed from beneath the fall of his hair.

"Unless you speak English we're going to have a very difficult time communicating," Oliver growled, fingers twitching against the bowstring. "Now, who are you and what are you doing here?"

The woman smiled slightly as she stepped forward, the man in front of Oliver slowly stepping back, deferring to the woman as leader.

"We heard rumours that a man named Ivo had come to the island seeking a long forgotten project of the Japanese," the woman said calmly, her English nearly flawless save with a slight, beautiful lilt to her words. "We came to ensure he did not succeed in finding or recreating this project."

Oliver snorted. "You're about three months too late," he said as he studied the woman. Her posture, even the way she looked at him, reminded him of his lost friends. "Ivo's dead. Gangrene. And you didn't answer my other question. Who the hell are you?"

The woman's smile widened, just a bit, and her dark eyes lit up with what was clearly pride.

"I am Nyssa, daughter of Ra's al Ghul, heir to the Demon."

Oliver blinked. He had heard whispers, during his time in Fyers clutches, of Ra's al Ghul. Mostly from Wintergreen. It had all seemed like ghost stories to him. A man in command of an army of assassins. A man feared by criminals the world over. It had seemed like a boogeyman story to frighten new recruits.

Something must have shown in his face because Nyssa's smile widened a little more.

"You have heard of my father."

Oliver gave a slow nod. "Ghost stories."

"I can assure you that he is very real." She slowly stepped closer. "And who are you? If you are not one of Ivo's men how did you come to be here? This island is meant to be uninhabited."

Oliver debated telling her the truth but, she had been honest with him, as far as he knew, and though he didn't trust her as far as he could throw her, he found himself answering her regardless.

"Oliver Queen. I was marooned here about a year ago."

"A year?" Nyssa's smile dipped into a frown. "And you have survived all this time?"

"Had a bit of help here and there."

Her gaze dipped to the exposed scar on his shoulder, the gift from Yao-Fei, before returning to his face. "Yet not enough to escape this place."

"Haven't been that lucky."

Nyssa nodded, glancing briefly at his bow. "Do you have any true skill with that weapon or is it merely a ruse to frighten strangers?"

"I don't know," Oliver said with a shrug. "But I put an arrow through a man's throat from about the distance we're standing now and I killed six of Ivo's men before they even realized I was there. So you tell me, do I have any skill with it or am I just incredibly lucky?"

Nyssa's smile slowly returned.

"Is your mentor hiding nearby? Ready to loose their own arrow should they deem it necessary?"

"No."

"No they're not hiding or no they're not going to..."

"She's...dead."

Silence settled over them for a moment before Nyssa gave a small nod.

"I see. I am...sorry. Clearly that wound is still fresh."

So she had heard his grief. His anger. No surprise really. Hard to practice hiding those things when he was all alone. Most days he liked to lie to himself that he was okay. That Shado's death, Slade's death, didn't haunt him anymore. Studying Nyssa for a moment longer he slowly lowered his bow, the string going lax, arrow aimed at the sand. He drew a slow deep breath and glanced towards the dingy, then the ship, before looking at Nyssa again.

"Are you going to leave me here?"

"Do you wish to remain?"

A shudder rolled down Oliver's spine and, as much as he wanted to say no, where else did he have to go? He couldn't go home. Not now. Not after all he'd done. Not after he'd become a killer. There was a stain on his very soul and he couldn't take that back to Starling. Couldn't be around the people he loved with that darkness swirling within him like a living, breathing creature waiting to be unleashed.

"I...I have no where to go."

"No home? No family?"

"I...I can't go back. I...I'm not the person they lost. Not anymore."

Nyssa regarded him for a moment before saying something to one of her men, who nodded and returned to the dingy, grabbing a radio and communicating with their ship.

"We can take you to the mainland," Nyssa said. "From there you can find your way in the world if you like."

Oliver blinked, surprised at her offer, but it was a chance, likely would be his only chance for God knew how long, to get off this godforsaken island and, even though he didn't know if he could trust her or not, he decided it was better to take Nyssa's offer rather than remain in a place that was nothing but hell on earth. He gave a slight nod.

He collected his few meagre belongings, all of which fit into an old crate from Slade's plane, and returned to the beach. His stomach rolled the entire dingy ride from the beach to Nyssa's ship but, thankfully, he wasn't sick. Once on board the ship he found a quiet spot on deck and settled in, keeping his back to the railing, watching the crew as they went about their business. He eventually dozed off, waking when someone lightly brushed his shoulder and, acting on instinct, he lashed out.

In his exhausted state he didn't put up a very good fight and soon found himself pinned beneath Nyssa, her knife pressed to his throat.

"You have some skill," she admitted as she slowly withdrew her knife. "And you have heart. A pity it is not more refined."

She moved back and Oliver scrambled back to where he had been sitting.

"My...friend...tried to teach me. I picked up some things. Enough to survive."

Nyssa sheathed her knife. "You could learn more. Become stronger. Faster. Better."

"How?"

"You could come with me. I could take you to my father. He could teach you."

Oliver huffed. "I just want to..."

"To what?" Nyssa shook her head. "You have admitted that you feel you cannot go home because your actions, things you did to survive, have tainted you. And, as you spent a year on Lian Yu, those you left behind must surely think you are dead. I am offering you a chance at a new life. A life that would have purpose."

"What purpose?"

"Upholding justice. Balancing the world. The League of Assassins exists to maintain order."

Oliver frowned slightly.

"Does that mean you...you protect the innocent? Punish the corrupt?"

Nyssa nodded. "Is that something you wish to do, Oliver?"

He frowned, his father's final words ringing through his mind.

_"I'm not the man you think I am. I didn't save our city. I failed it. Make it home. Right my wrongs."_

His father had been asking him, begging him, to make the world better. And while Robert had only meant Starling City the time he'd spent on Lian Yu had shown Oliver that the world was full of disease and corruption wearing human masks. Saving Starling City wouldn't be enough. It would always fall, again and again, because the world itself was fallen. But Nyssa was offering him a chance to make a difference. Even if it was a small difference and, maybe, one day he could return home and truly fulfill his father's wish.

Meeting Nyssa's gaze he slowly nodded. "Yes. I want that."

Nyssa smiled faintly. "Then I shall take you to my father and he shall decide if you are worthy or not."

She rose and slipped away, quiet as a shadow, and Oliver turned his head to look out into the darkness of the night.

As he sat there a word whispered through his mind. He heard it, clear as day, in three different voices. Voices belonging to people he'd buried in Lian Yu's soil.

_Shēngcún._

_Survive._


	2. Chapter 2

_Starling City_   
_Four Years Later_

 

He was a silent shadow in the darkness that was the Glades.

Nearly three months earlier the Glades had fallen prey to the rage of a broken, grieving man.

Al Sa-her.

The Magician.

Known to the uninitiated as Malcolm Merlyn.

But Merlyn's plan to destroy the Glades, his mad attempt to avenge the mate who had been murdered there years earlier, had been, mostly, thwarted. Though part of the Glades had fallen the majority stood. All because of the actions of a woman he had long thought dead.

Sara Lance.

Miraculously returned from the dead nearly a year before, found on the island of Lian Yu by a group of Chinese fishermen.

And who now fought for her city, for its people, at night under the guise of the vigilante known to the masses as the Canary.

He watched her, several times, as she took on the dredges of the city.

She was strong. Confidant. Moved in every way a trained killer would.

Yet she refrained from killing.

It had not been so months earlier.

He read the articles, watched the news clips, saw how she had been as lethal as a bird of prey. But after Merlyn's Undertaking she changed. She no longer killed. Even when it was obvious that killing a criminal rather than letting them live was the better option. It baffled him. How could she, of all people, not realize that sometimes death was the right choice?

Though Sara held his curiosity there were other, more pressing matters, which demanded his attention.

He had returned to the city seeking to ensure the safety of what remained of his family.

He had not found what he had hoped to.

Every newspaper, every television report, was focused on Moira Queen, the Beta who had helped a madman destroy half the city. He saw the clip of her confession. Her declaration that for years, fearing for her family, she had been complicit with Merlyn's plans. But she could no longer stand by and do nothing. She had urged for an evacuation of the Glades, urged people to flee before it was too late, and though many had fled it hadn't been enough. Five-hundred-and-three people died that night.

He glared down at the most recent article concerning his mother, labelling her a heartless murdering, and, the writer even began to speculate that maybe the accident that had killed her mate, Robert, and their son, Oliver, hadn't been an accident at all. But arranged by Moira for Merlyn.

His hands clenched tightly at that.

He didn't want to believe it. The part of him, tiny as it was, that still loved his family, his mother, didn't want to believe she was capable of that.

But if the last few weeks had proven anything it was that he didn't know Moira.

He had never known her.

Not really.

Just like, for all his spying, he didn't really know his sister.

Thea wasn't the little girl he remembered.

She had become a party animal, no different than he had been before the _Gambit_ , and had nearly gotten herself into quite the batch of trouble after wrecking her car, on her birthday no less, while high on some new designer drug. Something called Vertigo. It had been luck that Laurel, no doubt with a little persuasion from Sara, had taken Thea under her wing at the little law office where she worked. The Lance sisters had shown Thea a better path. They had given her what he, what their mother, never could have.

Now Thea was fighting alongside Laurel to help the Glades, its people, all while helping Sara manage her club, Verdant.

It was far from the life his sister had likely envisioned for herself but it was better than what she would have had.

The little bell over the door ringing drew his attention and he watched as a young man in a red hoodie strolled in.

Roy Harper.

Thea's Beta in shining armour.

The boy, though hot tempered, was a good person. He was good for Thea. Even if his desire to help people often led him into danger best avoided by those untrained to handle it.

He watched the boy pick up his takeout order, dinner for him and Thea, who was working late in the office at Verdant, and, after the boy left, he casually stood and followed him out. The last few days had consisted of tailing Roy, making certain he wasn't hurt too badly when he stumbled into fights better left alone. He knew if anything happened to Roy his sister would spiral and that was the last thing anyone needed.

There hadn't been much need for him to interfere.

Roy was tough. He'd grown in the Glades and could handle himself but if something happened to him Thea would not recover.

So he followed the boy, hidden among the shadows, his training well used.

And, after several minutes, was glad he had.

True to fashion Roy found trouble. His intentions were noble enough, trying to save a young woman from being assaulted, but he was outmatched. The trio of men, all reeking of stale beer and strong Alpha phreomones, were like a pack of rabid dogs and Roy, strong as he was, wasn't trained enough to deal with them. He took several blows, one to the face, before he hit the ground, groaning in pain.

"Finish the little bitch," one of the Alphas growled and the response it triggered was like a light switch being flicked.

He didn't make a sound as he emerged from the shadows, moving silently, lethally, dispatching one Alpha before he knew what had hit him. When the others rounded on him, one coming at him with a knife, he twisted and ducked. They were strong but uncoordinated. And against his training, his skill, they soon hit the ground next to their friend. Alive but unconscious.

Roy stared up at him in shock. "Who...Who the hell are you?"

He smirked beneath the hood of his jacket, not answering, before using the nearby alley wall to vault upwards to grab the overhang of a fire escape, disappearing into the darkness of the rooftops. He looked down on Roy, watching the Beta limp on to Verdant, and a small, barely there, sorrowful, smile tugged at his lips.

"My name is Oliver," he whispered to the darkness, feeling his heart constrict slightly, remembering how, for so long, that had not been his answer when asked his name. He closed his eyes for a moment and reminded himself that he was a ghost. A ghost didn't have a real name. Opening his eyes he glanced in the direction Roy had gone, barely catching a glimpse of the boy's hoodie as he ducked around the corner.

He shook his head and turned to cross the roof.

"My name is Al Sa-him," he said to himself, though if it was to remind himself of who, what, he had chosen to become or not he wasn't entirely certain. "I _am_ Al Sa-him."


	3. Chapter 3

Oliver continued to shadow his sister and, after a while, even took to shadowing Laurel.

Doing so he learned that she wasn't handling the aftermath of the Undertaking well. He could see how deeply she'd been affected by Tommy Merlyn's death and how she was using alcohol and pills to try and numb the pain of it all. He wanted to help her. To show her a better path to healing and dealing with her grief but his focus was quickly drawn back to Thea when she was kidnapped by men determined to make the Queen family pay for the loved ones they had lost in the Undertaking. He saved her the only way he knew how. By killing the men who had dared target his little sister as part of their revenge.

He knew it drew attention to him but he had had no choice.

He could stand by and wait to see if Sara managed to save Thea.

Of course taking matters into his own hands drew Sara's attention and, very quickly, the Canary was hunting the city for him.

But she wouldn't find him.

He was confident in that.

At least until Laurel was targeted by an escaped serial killer, Barton Mathis, also known as the Dollmaker, who suffocated his victims by pouring a flexible polymer down their throats before dressing them up like dolls. He'd been originally arrested by Quentin Lance, who since the Undertaking had been demoted from detective to a beat cop. The insane Omega's plan was to kill her, turn her into one of his dolls, in front of Lance as revenge for his initial arrest and incarceration.

With a bit of well placed leverage he managed to get information about Mathis and tracked him down to an old warehouse in the Glades. He arrived in time to see Sara rescue her sister and father but Mathis slipped away from them and Oliver gave chase. He cornered Mathis and, after a brutal fight in which Mathis surprised him by dropping a bundle of pipes on him, Sara emerged from the shadows, fighting the Omega, trying to take him down. She managed to break Mathis' arm, incapacitating him, but Oliver knew Mathis would always be a threat. To Laurel. To Sara. To the entire Lance family. And there was only one way to end that threat.

He put an arrow through the insane Omega's eye, causing Sara to whirl around, but he had already disappeared into the shadows. He lingered in the rafters, making certain Quentin and Laurel made it out of the building, before he slipped away.

He knew it had been risky helping Laurel like he had but she had been his friend, once, and the love he felt for her had not diminished over the last five years.

Unfortunately keeping watch over Laurel as well as his sister meant Sara found the opportunity to catch him off guard. Though he did his best to escape her she proved she was still as clever as he remembered and used trick wires to ensnare him.

As Sara prowled towards him he knew he could have easily gotten free, could have used the dagger on his belt to cut the wires, but he was curious to see what happened.

"Why are you following Laurel Lance," she demanded, eyes blazing beneath her mask.

He huffed.

"I could ask the same thing of you," he taunted but couldn't help the wiry smirk that spread across his face. "I guess some things never change, huh? The both of us. Always following her lead."

Sara frowned at him and she braced her bo staff against her shoulder.

"Who are you?"

The smirk dropped from his face and he glanced away momentarily. When he looked at her his gaze was flat and cold.

"Once you know," he said softly. "Your life will never be the same."

"I can take it," she growled and he shook his head.

"No, you can't. Not this time," he paused for a moment before giving her the final clue she would need. "Sara."

Her eyes went wide and he swore he could see her heart hammer against her ribs as she slowly reached out and removed his hood and mask. When she staggered back he couldn't help but smile sadly at her even as she yanked her mask and wig off, revealing the young woman he had, for so long, thought he'd killed by asking to go with him on his family's yacht.

"Oliver?"

"I'll give you some time," he said, softly, watching the shock dance across Sara's face like a living, breathing creature. "Let it sink in."

She started to reach out to him but he dropped a smoke pellet, hidden in the cuff of his glove, before he cut himself free and vanished before Sara could right herself and follow him.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Sara returned to Verdant and found her teammates waiting for her. When she told them what she'd learned saying they were shocked would have been an understatement.

"Wait, wait, wait, back up," Felicity said, waving her hands through the air, the Beta clearly riled up by the new turn of events. "How...How is he even alive?"

Sara shrugged. "The last time I saw Ollie was...was before I was sucked out into the cold, darkness of the ocean when the boat went down."

Diggle huffed and shook his head, drawing her attention to the big Alpha, who had quickly become her friend and confidant after she'd hired him as a bouncer for the club.

"Are you going to tell Thea that her brother is alive?"

Sara frowned and looked at him. "Is that really my place?"

"I'd think, after everything you've been through, after everything we've all been through," Diggle said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "That you would be done with keeping secrets, Sara."

"But this is different." Sara shook her head. "This...He hasn't told them. Not once in five years. Maybe he...Maybe he doesn't want them to know, Digg. How is it my place to tell them the truth?"

Diggle sighed even as Felicity took the opportunity to speak.

"It may not be your place, sweetie," the tech geek said as she stood, gripping Sara's shoulder lightly. "But after all they've been through I think the Queens deserves to know that Oliver is alive."

Sara looked from one friend to the other. She knew what they were thinking but she also knew she couldn't do what they wanted her to do. No matter how much she wanted to. It wasn't her secret to tell. Instead of continuing to focus on the subject she deflected the situation by asking Felicity what she'd found concerning the crime boss running around the Glades calling himself the Mayor.

Felicity's gaze told her that the Beta knew exactly what she was doing but thankfully her friend didn't press. Felicity said she was still looking and Diggle supplied that he was having some contacts look into the situation.

Sara nodded and stood, thinking to go tend to things in the club, but Diggle had a final remark to make concerning the Oliver situation.

"You know, Sara, somebody once told me that secrets have weight. The more you keep the harder it is to keep moving."

Sara paused turned back, looking at Diggle with a droll expression while snarking lightly, "Could thing I work out so much then, huh?"

She could tell, from Diggle's expression, that the Alpha didn't think it was funny.

She hurried away before Diggle, or Felicity, could say anything else.


	4. Chapter 4

After his meeting with Sara the emotions it stirred in him made it too dangerous for him too risky to keep patrolling. If his head wasn't in the game things would go wrong. Very wrong. It was one of the first lessons he'd learned back home.

He flinched at the unintended slip.

Nanda Parbat was not home.

At least not anymore.

So for a little while he kept off the streets, stayed hidden, but then the need to know if Sara had told Thea or Moira about him grew too great and he tracked her down, not surprised to find her heading into _Verdant_. She of course heard his deliberate footsteps and turned quickly to face him. She nodded towards the club and he followed her inside, waiting until she'd closed the doors before she turned and spoke.

"Did you tell my family I'm still alive," he asked, the need to know driving him, pushing at him like a living, breathing creature.

Sara looked shocked that he had even asked and quickly shook her head.

"No," she said quickly, starting to reach out to him but he took half a step back and her hand fell to her side.

"Ollie," she stepped closer. "I...I thought..."

"You thought I was dead." He shrugged. "Not the first time that's happened, right?" He shook his head slightly. "You know I thought you were dead too."

Sara let out a soft sound as she shook her head, hair spilling around her face like a golden wave. "What happened with Slade, Ollie?"

Oliver's heart leapt in a way it hadn't in a very long time. A small trickle of fear, old but familiar, ran down his spine even as his shoulder burned with phantom pain. He hadn't thought of Slade in a very long time. And he wasn't about to let those memories swarm him. Not now. Not when he'd fought so hard to put all of that, to put Lian Yu, behind him. When it was clear he wasn't going to answer Sara pressed a different line of questioning.

"Where have you been?"

He huffed lightly and shook his head. "Everywhere."

Sara growled faintly. "That's not an answer."

"Well it's the one you're getting."

He saw the hurt in her eyes and slowly turned away, stepping a few paces away, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"About a year ago I saw the reports," he said softly, remembering how he'd seen news reports about her, about the Canary. How he'd so easily put together her return to the city with the appearance of the Canary. "About the Starling City vigilante. The woman in black." He slowly turned back around, smiling slightly. "And I...I just knew it had to be you."

Sara huffed. "Never knew you to be so skilled when it came to fighting," she mused and he knew she was thinking of all his fights from before the _Gambit_ had gone done. "Where did you pick that up?"

He couldn't help but smirk slightly as he thought of the League, of the family he had found there, the lengths several of them had taken to teach him, to show him, the proper path.

"I met some rough people," he said, not wanting to explain about what he had been through. "Thought I should get rougher too."

"Ollie." Sara shook her head. "Why did you come back?"

Oliver drew a deep breath before sighing softly. "The earthquake," he admitted.

"You wanted to make sure Thea and Moira were safe." Sara reached out again and touched his arm, this time he didn't shy away. "But now you're still here, watching over Thea, watching over my sister. You're protecting them." She gripped his arm tightly for a moment. "So, did you come here to make sure I didn't tell anyone you're alive, or were you hoping I had?"

Before Oliver could respond Thea's voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey, Sara, you there? The delivery guy just dropped off the shipment and I could use your help with some of these boxes."

Oliver's eyes widened and before Sara could say anything, before she could call back to Thea, he was moving, disappearing out the door just as he heard the click of his sister's heels, caught the scent of her perfume. Outside the door he could still hear her voice, could hear her ask Sara who she'd been talking to, and he fought down the part of him that wanted to turn around, go back into the club, and reveal to his sister that he was still alive.

He couldn't do that.

He wouldn't do that.

Drawing a deep breath he hurried away, knowing if he stayed he might very well give into the instinct, the desire, to see his sister.

He returned to his base, his hideaway, and meditated for several hours, trying to regain control of himself. He had just calmed down when his burner phone binged, alerting him to a news update. Checking it his heart dropped into his stomach. There had been a shooting at a guns for cash rally that had been run in the Glades by a man named Sebastian Blood, an alderman who was, it seemed, going to be running for mayor. There were several victims, all in stable condition, but one was someone Oliver had come to know since his return to the city.

Sin.

She'd been the first person he'd saved after returning to the city and, like a dog with a bone, she hadn't rested until she'd found him. They'd quickly grown close and Oliver had come to view her as a second sister. She was tough, had grown up hard, life hadn't been kind to her, but she was still a caring person despite it all.

Knowing she'd been hurt tore at a part of Oliver.

And it was enough for him to return to the streets to hunt for the man responsible. A crime lord calling himself the Mayor. He met up with Sara outside the hospital, where he had checked on Sin, finding Roy and Thea there, Roy having been friends with Sin for a long time. Confident Sin would receive the best care, and was safe with Roy and Thea watching over her, he went with Sara, who had a location on the Mayor, to hunt down the bastard responsible for shooting his friend.

The fight with the Mayor and his thugs, who were being helped by the Mayor's foster brother, a soldier who'd decided it was more profitable steeling weapons from the military than actually serving it, was quick.

Between the two of them Oliver and Sara managed to take the men down and, when Oliver had the Mayor on his knees, the blade of his sword to the man's throat, Sara was immediately attempting to talk him down.

"Let him go."

He gave her a sharp look. "You can't save this city with forgiveness," he growled faintly, voice made deeper by his mask and the distorted in it.

"You don't have to forgive him." Sara twirled her bo staff until it rested against her shoulder. "But you do have to let him live."

Oliver growled faintly. Everything in him, his training, his instincts, told him to kill the Mayor. To remove one more threat from the city. But he didn't want to be just a killer in Sara's eyes. So he slowly lowered his sword. The Mayor made a snide remark and, with a quick blow, he rendered the man unconscious. When Sara gave him a droll look he shrugged, slowly sheathing his sword.

"At least I didn't kill him."

They ended up going their separate ways after securing the criminals and putting in an anonymous call to the police, though Sara did attempt to convince him to go with her. He returned to the hospital to check on Sin, finding Roy and Thea asleep in her room and he smiled as he quietly slipped in, the door closing silently behind him. He checked on Sin, pleased to find the doctors had taken such good care of her, and then he turned to Thea.

She was slumped in her chair, hardly looking comfortable, and he crouched down in front of her, reaching up to gently brush her hair back, smiling the entire while. She was just as beautiful as their mother. And her scent, beneath the perfume, was that of an Alpha. He gently cupped her cheek and hi smile widened. She'd become so much more than he could have ever hoped she'd be.

He leaned up and kissed her forehead before he stood and hurried from the room, not wanting to risk her waking up and seeing him, but in the hallway he nearly ran into Sara.

"Hey," Sara said softly, smiling at her. "Your friend's going to be okay. Thea's taken care of the medical expenses."

Oliver nodded. "That's...That's good." He started to move, to step around Sara, but she stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"What's your plan, exactly, Ollie? Because...right now you're wiping across rooftops keeping vigil over your family...our families...like some sort of ghost."

"We're both ghosts, Sara." Oliver shook his head, stepping back slightly. "We died on that damned island."

"No, we didn't," Sara said firmly and he saw it in her eyes. She refused to believe that. But she hadn't suffered through what he had. She had only tasted a piece of the hell that had been Lian Yu. "We both lived. And...And I get that you have been in pain for so long that it probably feels normal now but you can let it go, Ollie. And you can come home."

Sara reached out and cupped his cheek gently.

"The earthquake might have brought you back, Ollie, but your family kept you here." She smiled almost sadly at him. "You have to tell them, Ollie. They...They need to know. They need you."

Oliver drew a deep breath, reaching up to slowly tug her hand away from his face.

"You kept your promise," he said softly. "You told them I died on the _Gambit_. If they know the truth..."

"They wouldn't care, Ollie. They love you. And they need you. Why can't that be enough?"

Oliver let out a soft, rumbling sound. A placating sound.

"I...I can't." He shook his head. "Not yet. I just..."

"Okay." Sara touched his arm. "Okay, so we start small. You can...You can stay with me until you're ready. And I'll...I'll be with you every step of the way."

Oliver studied her for a long moment before he slowly nodded, taking Sara's hand in his own, feeling, for the first time in months, that he was once more taking the right steps.


	5. Chapter 5

_The chains bit into his wrists and cold seeped into his bare feet and his shoulder burned sharply._

_His hair hung, wet from sea water, in his face and he panted heavily. Fear and nerves kept crawling through him like some sort of wild animal, driving him to the brink and back. Over and over again. He shivered and squeezed his eyes shut as he heard the heavy footsteps approaching him. He wanted to turn, to face the person doing this to him, but the chains held him where he was._

_A hand, the touch mockingly soft, brushed over his shoulder and he flinched in pain and fear._

_"You're shaking," the voice was deep, dark and feral, and his body relaxed and tensed in rapid succession._

_"Please..." He had no idea at this point what he was begging for. For the pain to stop? For the man to just finally end it? He didn't know. Couldn't even begin to guess._

_A huff of breath over his shoulder caused it to throb sharply._

_"I'm not finished with you yet," the growl of the voice made his skin crawl even as he heard the blade draw from its sheath. "No. You're going to suffer before I'm finished, kid."_

_His body burned as the blade pierced his skin and his throat, still raw, burned when he screamed._

Oliver jolted upright, heart hammering, and it took him several long, tense minutes to calm himself enough to remember where he was.

His arms shook slightly and, he quickly realized, he was gripping the hilt of his sword. Drawing a deep breath he slowly released his sword, letting it rest next to him, and then scrubbed his hands over his face. He hadn't had that nightmare in a very long time. Not since his early days in Nanda Parbat. And it left him more shaken than he'd ever admit to.

Slowly climbing from the bed he made his way from the room and through the small apartment, finding Sara holed up on the couch in the living room, some random sports broadcast playing on the television. She noticed him almost immediately.

"Can't sleep?" She asked and he leaned against the wall, arms wrapped around himself as he shrugged.

"Thanks for letting me stay," he said, deflecting from the question and thankful when Sara didn't press that subject.

"It's no hardship, besides," Sara said as she shifted on the couch, drawing her legs under her, making space on the couch, the silent offer of letting him sit was clear but he remained where he was. "I like having the company. And I don't get much unexpected company so you won't have to worry about anyone finding out you're back."

"Thanks, for understanding."

Sara shook her head. "I don't, actually, understand," she admitted with a sad little smile. "Your family misses you. Every day."

Oliver huffed out a small laugh and smirked. "Yeah? How do you know?"

"Because I missed you, Ollie."

Oliver looked down and his smirk dropped away. "I don't think they'd be as happy as you think."

"How can you say that?" Sara shook her head. "I know how hard it is, Ollie, to come home when you've been gone for so long."

Oliver slowly looked at her again, seeing the strength in her, the power, she had changed so much. But she was still Sara. Still the same woman he had watched die, twice, and it tore him up inside that he couldn't be the same Ollie she remembered.

"It was different for you," he said softly. "Your family...They never gave up hope, Sara. They didn't put up a headstone for you. They didn't have a funeral for you and bury an empty coffin."

Sara flinched slightly.

And Oliver felt guilt ripple through him.

"Look," he finally said, straightening from the wall. "Some things...Some things are just better left in the past. My family...They're better off without me."

Before she could say anything, try to convince him he was wrong, he turned and prowled back to the bedroom Sara said was his but didn't really feel like it was. Halfway down the hallway he felt a familiar tingle in the back of his skull and stilled. It wasn't the first time he'd felt that sensation. But it was the first time he responded to it since leaving Nanda Parbat. 

He closed his eyes and focused on it, on focused on the bond it passed through, and suddenly felt a rush of relief, not his own but familiar enough to make him smile.

"I'm okay," he whispered, knowing the words wouldn't pass through the bond, he had it too closed off for that, but the feeling behind them would. "I'm okay."

He felt a pulse of love, of worry, but quickly closed off the bond again before it grew too much. He couldn't protect his family if the bond kept calling to him. Kept trying to draw him back to the ancient city that had so easily become his home.

Part of him ached at the emptiness that washed over him with the closed bond but he moved forward, returning to the bed though he knew he wouldn't get much more sleep.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Oliver spent the next several days either in Sara's apartment or out prowling the Glades.

The day he knew the DA, with Laurel as co-council, was going to visit his mother, to lay the full charges against her, he lingered in the apartment, waiting for Sara to get home, hoping she'd have talked to Laurel and could tell him what was going on.

He paced the front hall for nearly an hour before Sara came through the door. The expression on her face told him whatever news she had wasn't going to be good. She gestured towards the living room and he followed her, fighting down the urge to demand she tell him what was going on. When she didn't speak right away Oliver rumbled faintly, unable to restrain himself.

"What? What happened?"

Sara drew a deep breath and shook her head. "Laurel told me..." She bit her lower lip. "She said that her boss is going for the death penalty unless...unless your mom takes a deal. She pleads guilty to all charges and she...she gets life in prison."

Oliver let out a low sound, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides, and he closed his eyes for a long, tense moment.

"She can't take the deal," he said as he opened his eyes. "She...She wouldn't."

"Laurel said it looks like she might. If only to spare Thea the trial. She might change her mind, though, if she knew you were alive."

Oliver rumbled again, this time darker, and shook his head. "You didn't tell them, did you?"

"Of course not, Ollie." Sara reached out, taking his hand in hers. "I do know a thing or two about keeping secrets. Even...Even if I don't understand why you're keeping yours."

Oliver pulled away from her, putting distance between them, hands clenched tightly at his sides.

"Is it because of the island," she asked, clearly willing to strain their relationship if it meant getting him to open up. "Because of Slade?"

Oliver couldn't control his reaction.

And his growl was pitched so dark and low that it was as though an Alpha had growled. Sara's eyes widened and he had to force himself to calm, clinging to all his training with the same fierceness that he had once clung to the man whose very name now invoked strong and equal reactions of fear and rage.

"No." He spoke firmly, keeping tight control over his emotions. "No, it...it's what came after." He drew a slow, deep breath. "There were things I did, things I had to do to survive, things that...that there's no forgiveness for."

Sara shook her head, walking over to him, cupping his face gently between her hands.

"That's the thing about forgiveness, Ollie," she said with a warm smile. "You can't get it until you ask for it."

Before Oliver could respond the nearby window shattered and a man burst into the apartment.

Oliver's heart leapt to his throat as he caught the intruder's scent.

Al-Owal.

Sara let out a startled sound seconds before Al-Owal attacked.

The fight was quick, but intense. Al-Owal was well trained and skilled. He was not fighting to keep but to subdue. If he had been fighting to kill Oliver knew there would be little that would stop the man. Sara, however, didn't realize this and, when she managed to grab her bo staff from where she'd hidden it, she fought Al-Owal with a ferocity Oliver had never seen in her before.

But for all that ferocity Sara was barely a match for a man who had spent nearly his entire life training and killing.

When Al-Owal batted her aside, sending her sprawling to the floor, dazed from the blow, Oliver snarled, snatching up her bo staff and blocked Al-Owal's sword when the man swung towards him. The exchanged blow after blow. Both attacking and blocking in equal turns. But, like so many times before, Al-Owal gained the upper hand and disarmed Oliver, striking him across the face with Sara's bo staff, sending him reeling and dropping to one knee, dazed from the blow.

He looked up as Al-Owal slowly approached him, sword lowered, and those blazing eyes fixed on him fiercely.

Before the man could reach him Sara was there, striking Al-Owal in the back of the head with a lamp, sending him to his knees, kicking his sword from his hand before she wrenched his hood and mask from his head. The surprise, and shock on her face, told Oliver more than anything that she had been half expecting Malcolm Merlyn. Given the way Al-Owal was dressed it was a natural assumption to make.

Sara growled as she snatched up her bo staff, twirling it until it rested against her shoulder.

"Who are you," she demanded and Al-Owal huffed out a small laugh, his gaze going from Sara to Oliver and back again in the span of a heartbeat.

"Just a warrior," Al-Owal replied, calmly, it was an answer he'd been trained to give but believed in none-the-less. "Like you."

"Why are you dressed like Malcolm Merlyn?" When she received no answer from him Sara growled threateningly. "Who sent you?!"

The man said nothing, merely gave Oliver a look, a promising look, before throwing a small flash-bang explosive across the floor. The distraction of it giving Al-Owal time to disappear. To escape.

Sara searched the apartment, to be sure Al-Owal was gone, before she hurried back to Oliver, who was wiping blood from his nose.

"What the hell is going on, Ollie," she demanded, looking both fierce and worried and afraid.

She should be.

He'd brought death to the city and put everyone he cared for at risk.


	6. Chapter 6

With a bit of convincing Sara got Oliver to go with her to the foundry, to where she'd set up her base of operations, hidden right beneath Thea's nightclub. Right beneath everyone's noses. 

"This is quite the set up you've got here. When you're launching your one woman war for Starling."

"Not one woman," Sara replied as she turned, watching two people enter the room. "These are my friends. This is John Diggle and Felicity Smoak. Guys, this is...this is Oliver."

Felicity Smoak was, Oliver found, pretty. In a geeky sort of way. Her scent told him she was a Beta. And, he suspected, she was intelligent. More so than her appearance gave away.

John Diggle, tall and broad, smelled of Alpha and his hands, rough looking, the way he held himself, told Oliver the man was either ex-military or an ex-cop. He was strong and confident. A good ally for Sara.

Greetings were exchanged, pleasantries that Oliver tried to remember as important to social interactions, and then Sara explained about the man who had attacked them. Including her not quite so accurate theory about the man being a follower of Malcolm. Oliver shook his head and made a low sound which had Sara looking at him closely, her gaze sharp as a bird of prey, and when she asked him what he knew he drew a deep breath, scrubbing a hand over his face before he explained things to her.

"He's called Al-Owal. The First." Oliver leaned back against a nearby table. "And he's a member of the League of Assassins."

"Wait, wait," Diggle said as he waved his hand, looking at Oliver with disbelieve and doubt. "The League of Assassins? I thought they were a myth."

"What's the League of Assassins," Felicity asked as she looked from Sara to Oliver and back, not missing the way Sara looked at Oliver. Like she didn't know him as well as she'd thought she had. "And please tell me it's not a league made up of assassins."

"It's an urban legend," Diggle explained before Oliver could reply. "I heard about them in Afghanistan from a tribal leader who claimed there was an ancient sect of assassins, deadly warriors who killed and vanished like ghosts. I thought he was smoking what he was selling."

Oliver let out a low rumble and looked at Sara. Hating that she was learning the truth like this. But he had tried, so hard, to tell her. Tried to guide her to the truth. She just hadn't seen, or wanted, to see it.

"That's where you've been," Sara finally said, speaking softly, voice full of her surprise. "Where you learned to fight. You're one of them."

Oliver nodded. "After..." He paused, drawing another deep breath, scrubbing his hands over his face. "After the island a member rescued me, took me in, and brought me to Nanda Parbat. They remade me into what I am and I swore them my allegiance."

"Why are they kicking down doors trying to find you now," Diggle asked the question Oliver couldn't seem to bring himself to voice.

"Because I left. And there's only one way that you leave the League."

Sara let out a soft sound, taking a step towards Oliver, wanting to reach out but uncertain how her actions would be received.

"Is that why you didn't want to see your family?"

"Nearly a year ago I was in Mombassa," Oliver explained, remembering that mission with startling clarity. "I was sent there after a warlord who'd been using child soldiers. Raping young girls. I put three arrows in his chest and slit his throat. No trial. No judge and jury. I did it and I didn't think twice about it. And he wasn't the first. And he wasn't the last. I've killed...countless people. I'm a murderer, Sara. You think that my family will be happy to see me?"

"Ollie..." Sara started to reach out to him but he quickly straightened, putting more space between them.

"Our focus needs to be on finding Al-Owal before he decides the best way to get to me is through my family." Oliver glanced at Felicity. "I've got soil samples from Sara's apartment. Can you...I don't know...trace them to find out where he's been?"

Felicity nodded. "If the soil was from somewhere in Starling I should be able to geo-tag it."

"Do it," Sara said, not taking her eyes off Oliver as he handed over the sample. "And let me know the minute you have anything."

"Where are you going," Oliver asked as she headed for the stairs. She paused and looked back at him.

"Gonna go talk to my dad. See if any bodies have turned up lately that might match this...this Al-Owal's style."

Oliver watched her go and then took to pacing the foundry. Patience, even after his years in the League, had never been his strong suit. Thankfully within a few hours Sara had returned, no leads from Quentin, and, just as the vigilante Beta returned, Felicity got a lead for them. She traced the soil sample to an abandoned pesticide plant just outside the Glades. Oliver wanted to go alone. It was his fight. But Sara, fierce and loyal, refused to let him go alone. She claimed it wasn't just his fight anymore. That the League had made it hers when they chose to break into her home and threaten someone she cared about.

Together they went to the plant but Sara hung in the shadows letting Oliver take the lead.

Prowling along the catwalk he spotted Al-Owal, the man was sharpening his sword, and drew a deep breath, fingers tense around his bow. Al-Owal, of course, knew he was there without even having to turn around. He slowly turned around to face Oliver, smirking that familiar, cocky smirk that didn't infuriate Oliver half as much as it probably should have. It reminded him of the days, countless days, of training with Al-Owal. Of the man teaching him to be more than a broken victim.

"Your return is awaited in Nanda Parbat," Al-Owal said, voice carrying through the otherwise silent factory.

"I'm not going back." Oliver rumbled in reply. "Not now, at least."

"The choice is not yours to make," the Alpha spoke calmly but Oliver saw the look in his eyes. The man would drag him, tied and gagged if need be, back to Nanda Parbat. "I have orders, _Habib_ , to return you."

"But you won't kill me to do it."

"Perhaps you overestimate your importance."

Oliver shook his head. "I don't. And we both know it."

Al-Owal huffed. "Regardless," he said, still in that even, calm tone. "You're coming back with us."

Oliver's brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Us?"

Al-Owal's grin widened. "Like you," he said, half turning, glancing to where Sara was hiding. "I did not come alone."

Suddenly two other members of the League emerged from the darkness and the ensuing fight was fierce and Oliver and Sara put up the best fight they could but it wasn't enough. Oliver wasn't willing to kill men he'd known for years, had called brothers, and Sara had vowed, after Tommy's death, to stop killing. When they realized they had little hope of winning they wisely retreated. But as they made their escape Oliver heard Al-Owal's declaration.

"If you will not return willingly, _Habib_ , you will stay to bury your family!"


	7. Chapter 7

Oliver prowled through the foundry, unable to calm himself, unable to stop hearing Al-Owal's words echoing, over and over again, though his mind.

The man had just declared war on his family.

And since the League wasn't likely to be able to get to Moira they would turn their focus to Thea.

With Moira's trial fast approaching he knew there was no chance of getting Thea to leave the city.

Sara had left shortly after they'd gotten back, saying she was going to see someone about helping them with the League. Oliver didn't ask who she meant. Couldn't really think of anyone in the world capable of helping them against the League. He had put everyone in danger. And now he was hiding, like a coward, and that just served to anger him more. With a low rumble he spun, grabbing his jacket from a chair, but his path to the stairs was blocked by Diggle, who had been keeping an eye on him since Sara had left.

"Where are you going, Oliver?" Diggle crossed his arms over his chest. "You go out there you make yourself a target. I thought you didn't want people knowing you're still alive?"

"I don't." Oliver rumbled, shrugging into his jacket. "But I can't just sit here and wait for them to hurt or kill my sister. It's not who I am."

Diggle regarded him for a moment before suddenly moving, picking up a gun, checking the clip with quick, efficient movements.

"What are you doing," the Omega demanded as Diggle holstered the weapon.

"Going with you." The Alpha's conviction was in his tone. Solid as stone. "I'm not letting you go out there without any backup."

Oliver shook his head.

"You may be ex-Special Forces," he said, gaze hard and cold. "But I was trained by people who make the Special Forces look like a damn kindergarten class." He shifted his stance. "Now either get out of my way or get put down."

Diggle looked like he wanted to refuse, like he was willing to fight Oliver if it meant getting him to accept his help. But in the end the Alpha stepped aside. With a low rumble Oliver stormed out of the foundry and up the stairs. He had to get back to the clock tower, back to familiar ground. If he was going to face Al-Owal he had to do it where the surroundings would benefit him.

He was just making his way through the club when Sara came through the door.

And she wasn't alone.

Oliver went completely still as Quentin Lance walk through the door.

The two men stared at one another for a moment before Oliver quickly shot Sara a sharp look.

"You said..."

"I promised not to tell your family," she cut him off. "Didn't say anything about mine."

Oliver growled faintly and shook his head. "This is a mistake, Sara." He glance briefly at Quentin. "You're going to get your father hurt. Or killed."

"She told me about your buddies," Quentin said, drawing Oliver's attention to the worn looking Alpha. "Said you needed some serious help."

"Not when it risks..."

"She also told me about how you saved her life. On Lian Yu."

Oliver blinked.

Slowly turning his gaze to Sara.

His question was obvious to her without him ever having to give voice to it.

"I couldn't stand him hating you, Ollie," Sara explained with a shrug. "After...After hearing him insult you one night I...I sort of snapped. Told him about...well...you know."

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment, fighting down those memories, so easily hearing a mocking voice telling him to choose, before he opened his eyes again. He looked at Quentin and shook his head again.

"I can't let you do this," he said. "I can't let you risk your life."

"Not your call," Quentin said, stepping closer. "You need help. So let me help you."

"Mr Lance..."

"You saved my daughter." Quentin reached out, gripping Oliver's shoulder. "This isn't up for debate, son."

Oliver glanced at Sara, who appeared as determined as he father, and he knew, given the situation, it would be best if he didn't fight this. Sara and Quentin would just do it anyway. Drawing a deep breath he slowly nodded.

"Alright," he said softly. "But, if we're doing this, we're doing it my way. Clear?"

Both Lances nodded and Oliver carefully laid out a plan. When he explained about the clock tower, his base, Sara was hesitant but after his declaration of needing to fight the League on familiar ground she finally nodded her agreement.

"I'll meet up with you guys," Sara said after receiving a text from Thea, who had been turning more and more to Sara for support during everything that was going on with Moira. "Just...Just watch out for one another, okay?"

"Don't worry, baby," Quentin reassured her with the same quirky grin she used on people. "I promise not to kill your..." He glanced at Oliver. "Honestly, not sure what to call him."

Sara rolled her hugs. "Friend, Daddy," she replied, grabbing her jacket. "He's my friend."

Oliver nodded to her as she left before he and Quentin left for the clock tower.

It didn't take him long, even with Quentin's inexperienced help, to ready the place and, as the waiting for Al-Owal and the others began, Oliver found himself resorting to the same trick he'd used in Nanda Parbat to regain his calm and focus. He sat and sharpened his sword, softly humming the tune to an old lullaby he had, like much of his training, picked up in Nanda Parbat. He didn't realize he'd been murmuring the words aloud until Quentin suddenly spoke.

"That sounds pretty." The Alpha, sitting on the edge of a table, tipped his head slightly, watching him. "Something one of your nannies used to sing?"

Oliver huffed slightly and shook his head, slowly setting his whetstone aside before resting his sword over his knees.

"I learned it in the same place I learned to fight."

Quentin's eyebrow lifted. "So you're a singing assassin?" His voice didn't sound mocking but Oliver heard the humour in the Alpha's voice none-the-less. "Guess Sara missed that part."

Oliver chuckled slightly.

"There's...There's actually a lot about me that Sara doesn't know. I..." He paused, clearing his throat before speaking again. "I'm not the same boy who died at sea with his father."

Quentin frowned.

"You say that like you're not...you. Like you died or something and the man I'm looking at is a ghost."

Quentin didn't miss how Oliver's grin was full of sorrow rather than mirth.

"I didn't die on the _Gambit_ ," Oliver said as he slowly stood, sword left lying on the chair where he had been sitting. "But I died on Lian Yu. I...I buried parts of me there that I...I can never get back. I may have survived but I didn't live."

"You seriously believe that?"

Oliver shrugged. "In Nanda Parbat when an initiate becomes a true member of the League they forsake all that they were, who they were, and take a new name to reflect their new life. It is symbolic of their old self dying so that their new self may be born."

Quentin frowned. He didn't look like he accepted that. "Sounds like a bunch of brainwashing mumbo-jumbo, you ask me."

The Omega rumbled faintly, shaking his head, seeing so much of Sara, and Laurel, in their father. It was easy to see where both women got their strength from.

"I wasn't the same after...after everything that happened on the island," Oliver wasn't certain how much Sara had told her father and they didn't have time for him to fill in whatever gaps she had left. "I let this...this darkness into my heart, into my soul, and I...I couldn't bring it back to my family."

"But you came back," Quentin said as he too stood. "You say you got some...some sort of darkness in you, but you still came back. Keeping...what...watch over your sister? Trying to figure out how to break your mom out of jail? What exactly is your play here, kid?"

"I came back because an earthquake destroyed part of the city and I had to be sure my family was okay. I stayed because...because part of me will always belong in Starling." He heard movement and quickly snatched his sword. "But we're out of time."

He turned to face the far window, the face of the clock, finding Al-Owal and his men there, Quentin reacted slower, but when he realized they were no longer along he quickly drew his sidearm, aiming at the trio of assassins.

"So," Al-Owal said as he unsheathed his sword. "This is where you have chosen to make your stand." His gaze, darkened by his hood and mask, swung briefly, dismissively, to Quentin. "You should have sent your friend away. His blood needed not be spilled. Now, now his fate is on your hands."

"Any reason your buddies are dressed like Malcolm Merlyn, Queen," Quentin growled faintly, keeping his gun aimed at the assassins.

"A lot of reasons," Oliver said, keeping his gaze fixed on Al-Owal. "Now's not the time to discuss them."

Al-Owal huffed and fixed Oliver with a stern, almost parenting look.

"Did you really think we would not find you here, _Habib_?"

"No," Oliver smirked. "I was counting on it."

Al-Owal growled and lunged forward, his men darting to either side of the room, but Oliver had chosen the tower because he knew it. He could control it. And when one of Al-Owal's men stepped into the snare, the cable snagging him, hoisting him into the air by his ankle, it just served to prove that control, in this situation, was his.

He engaged Al-Owal, their blades striking, ringing sharply, and he heard Quentin fire his weapon, the shots ringing loudly but not hitting their target. And while he worried for the man's safety he couldn't fight two battles at once. Al-Owal was taking all his focus. He ducked one of Al-Owal's attacks, spinning quickly, knocking the older assassin back several steps, into the path of the motion sensor he'd set up on one of the nail guns he'd found in the tower. The nails, half a dozen of them, imbedded deeply into the man's leg.

Al-Owal growled in pain, dropping to one, and as he looked up Oliver couldn't help his cocky smirk.

"You should be mindful of your surroundings," he growled, parroting the words of their mentor and Al-Owal huffed before surging upwards, engaging Oliver once more.

Unfortunately, even injured, Al-Owal proved why he was such a high ranking member in the League, he disarmed Oliver with a twisted flurry of movement, forcing him to his knees, blade to his throat. Al-Owal drew a shallow breath as he removed his hood, scowling at Oliver, the same way he had scowled during Oliver's training whenever he repeated a mistake.

Before the assassins advancing on Quentin could get too close the window shattered and Sara came leaping in.

Her distraction served to help Oliver duck and roll away from Al-Owal and, as Sara helped her father, who ended up shooting one of the assassins, Oliver reengaged Al-Owal, this time mindful not to let his ego get in the way of his mission. Once he disarmed Al-Owal, Sara having disabled the remaining assassin, he growled and yanked Al-Owal to his feet, keeping the blade of his sword to the man's throat.

Al-Owal growled.

"You think," he panted, glaring daggers at Oliver. "Because you are... _Habib_...that you will be granted your freedom?"

"There is only one freedom," Oliver snarled in response and Al-Owal nodded slightly, ever aware of the sharpness of the blade at his throat.

"I will hunt you," the elder assassin swore. "To the ends of the earth. I will return you to Nanda Parbat. And if I must kill everyone you love in this cursed city to do so, _Habib_ , I will."

Oliver saw the truth in Al-Owal's eyes and knew what had to be done.

He didn't want to, wished there was another way, but he knew there was only one way to protect his family, his few friends, and he drew a ragged breath.

"You won't touch anyone I care about, Al-Owal. Not in this life."

Before Al-Owal could respond, before Sara could say anything to try and stop him, Oliver slit Al-Owal's throat.

He heard Quentin's sharp intake of breath as the elder assassin's body fell. Turning sharply Oliver marched to where the single remaining assassin was.

"You don't need to do this," Sara growled out, taking a small step forward, but Oliver grabbed the assassin's arm, sword pressed to the smaller man's throat, yanking him to his feet, he glared at the man even as a dark growl bubbled up from his chest. "It's over, Oliver!"

"Not yet," Oliver growled back and Quentin let out a low, almost placating sound. An Alpha's attempt to defuse a bad situation.

"Oliver...son...you don't have to do this."

Oliver growled faintly, gaze hard as steel as he glared at the assassin, the man he viewed as a brother.

"You tell Ra's that if he has quarrel then it's with me," he rumbled, sounding more Alpha than Omega. "My family is off limits. Do you understand?"

The man gave the slightest nod of his head.

_"Naäam, Habib,"_ he replied quietly and Oliver growled faintly before shoving him, harshly, towards the nearest window.

Oliver watched the man leave before he slowly turned to face Sara and her father.

He saw the disappointment in Sara's eyes but didn't regret his decision. He had killed to protect the people he cared about. But even so he felt remorse and sorrow. Al-Owal had, at a time, been a friend and, even though he had threatened the people Oliver loved, he mourned the man's death.

But he knew now, for certain, that he couldn't stay in Starling.

Not anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

Oliver made his way, slowly, carefully, through Milan.

It had been almost two months since he had left Starling to protect the people he cared about and, though he had managed to stay one step ahead of the League, he was beginning to waver. Everything in him was at war. His need to protect his family. His yearning to return to Nanda Parbat. He knew if he returned he faced punishment for leaving but the longer he ran the harder it was becoming to ignore the bond and the subtle probing he felt at it nearly every day.

He passed by a small cafe, a place he'd been before, two years earlier, and couldn't help but smile.

He had fond memories of that cafe.

A small shiver rolled down his spine as that, now familiar, sensation, that probing, crossed the bond.

"Stop," he whispered as he turned and continued on his way, pushing the feeling behind his words across the bond. "Please. Just...Just stop."

But it didn't.

If anything the feeling intensified and he rumbled faintly as he jogged across the street, slowly circling back to his safe house. By the time he made it back to the house, which was really just a tiny, ratty apartment, his skin was itching and his heart felt as though he'd driven one of his arrows through it. He absently rubbed his hand over his chest as he prowled through the apartment, trying to push the feeling away.

"You're driving me crazy," he growled, hands beginning to shake, and the desire to force those feelings, those torn, broken feelings, through the bond flared again. But he tramped it down. His bondmate didn't deserve that. It wasn't his fault that Oliver was barely holding on. The Omega knew he had no one to blame but himself.

He had just turned, thinking to head for the shower, when his phoned beeped.

Fishing it from his pocket he half expected another text from Sara.

She'd been trying, unsuccessfully, to get him to come back to Starling.

He was surprised to find it wasn't.

It was from Sin.

_Dude. Where u at? U okay?_

He couldn't help but smile. He'd visited Sin before he left. Explained that mistakes of his past were catching up to him and that he couldn't afford to stay in Starling. She, like Sara, hadn't wanted him to go but she'd understood he didn't want to put anyone in danger. She texted at least once a day. More if something was stressing her out. 

He'd learned, mostly through her, that his mother had been acquitted of all charges against her during the trial. A miracle, Sin had called it. But he knew better. There'd been too much evidence against Moira, too many dead, for the jury to have been swayed by whatever defence his mother's lawyer had mounted. Something felt wrong, but, half way around the world, he was in no position to investigate.

He typed a quick message, _I'm fine. In Europe._

He always left his location vague.

Just in case Sin's phone ended up in the wrong hands.

_Cool. Pick me up a t-shirt from Paris._

He chuckled and sent her a quick smiley face before setting his phone aside. He knew she was just checking up on him. Making certain he hadn't done something stupid. Like get himself killed. After shrugging out of his jacket he dropped onto the lumpy bed that had come with the sparsely furnished apartment, scrubbing his hands over his face, trying to ignore the feeling in the back of his skull. The bond being poked at. He drew a deep breath, focusing on strengthening the barrier he'd erected over the bond, before he slowly dozed off, memories, old but hardly faded, haunting his dreams.

_He had thought that, after Lian Yu, nothing could surprise him._

_But nothing on Lian Yu could have prepared him for the sight that was Nanda Parbat._

_The fortress was ancient, carved right into the stone of the mountains, and, as Nyssa led him through the great doors, he felt like an unworthy child entering a sacred place. He followed her, silent as a shadow, through the towering halls and, as they passed rooms, he saw people training. Men and women, indistinguishable by the clothing they wore, training, honing their skills. He drew a slow, deep breath as Nyssa led him into a large, open room, somehow knowing that this place was somehow different than the other rooms they had passed. This place held power. Ancient and strong. Like certain areas of Lian Yu._

_Standing in the center of the room was a man, unarmed, dressed in black, surrounded by armed opponents and Oliver felt his heart leap to his throat. The scene reminded him, perhaps too much, of the day, surrounded by enemies after trying to save Yao Fei, that Fyers had ordered Wintergreen to kill him._

_Nyssa stilled and he stood beside her, frowning even as his heart pounded against his ribs, uncertain what was happening. He glanced at her and she gave him an almost smug smirk._

_"A demonstration," she explain. "Of the power of the Demon's Head."_

_And then, in the span of a heartbeat, the armed members of the League, ten of them in total, attacked._

_Oliver watched, wide eyed, as the League members moved, fluid, lethal, but, even unarmed, the man proved he bore the greater skill. He twisted, dodging strikes, disarming one opponent, using the acquired weapon to swiftly, skilfully, dispatch, one by one, his opponents._

_Watching them fall, knowing they were dead, should have inspired fear, should have warned Oliver just how deadly Ra's al Ghul truly was and yet as the man turned to face where he and Nyssa stood all Oliver could think was that Ra's movements were so much more fluid than Slade's. Watching Slade had been like watching a storm blow across the land. Watching Ra's was like watching a dance. And, knowing Slade would have called him stupid for making such an artistic comparison, he couldn't help but laugh._

_It was light, airy, so unlike any of his laughs since before his friends had died on that cursed island._

_It was like how he had laughed before the_ Gambit _had gone down._

_He knew it wasn't the reaction either Nyssa or her father been expecting but, as he stopped laughing, the sound fading on the air, he found Ra's was smiling slightly, clearly intrigued by his reaction to seeing ten people cut down like wheat in the field._

_"My daughter explained she found you on the shores of Lian Yu," Ra's said as he stepped closer, blood dripping from the sword he still carried. "She also explained she offered you safe passage home or wherever you chose to go and yet you decided to come here. Why?"_

_Oliver sensed this was some sort of test._

_And if he failed he knew he wouldn't leave Nanda Parbat alive._

_He drew a deep breath and met Ra's gaze head on as he answered._

_"I seek the means to fight injustice." He tilted his chin up slightly. "To turn fear on those who prey on the fearful."_

_Ra's regarded him for a moment._

_"To do what you seek you must first learn to master yourself. Your own fears. Are you ready to begin, pup?"_

_"What?" Oliver blinked. "Now? But..."_

_He barely ducked the attack Ra's swung at him._

_"Death does not wait for you to be ready," Ra's rumbled as he attacked again. Sword barely missing Oliver he had to leap to the side, ducking and rolling, blood from the floor splattering onto his clothing. "Death is not considerate or fair." Another attack, this time low, aimed for Oliver's legs, though it was with a fist and not the sword._

_"And make no mistake, pup, here," Ra's lunged, a solid blow landing to Oliver's chest, knocking him back, sending him sprawling for a moment before he scrambled back to his feet. "You face death."_

_It took everything in Oliver to twist and turn, to stay one step ahead of the man. Ra's scent, Alpha, powerful and tinged with a hint of feral rawness, wafted through the air, and Oliver quivered. He fought his natural response as he continued dodging attack after attack. He tried to go on the offensive but he didn't have the skill to take on Ra's. And they both knew it._

_"You are skilled," Ra's said as he blocked one of Oliver's attempted attacks, using the younger man's momentum against him, driving back, sending him sprawling to the floor. "But this is not a dance."_

_Grunting Oliver rolled to his back, staring up at Ra's, gasping for breath. He half expected another attack but was surprised when Ra's slowly crouched down, brushing his hair back, meeting his gaze with an almost gentle look._

_"You are afraid, pup," the Alpha spoke softly. "But not of death. And not of me."_

_Oliver let out a low sound and just collapsed back, exhausted, unable to move, thankfully Ra's seemed to take pity on him._

_"Get him to a room," the Alpha spoke over his shoulder, no doubt to some of his men or to Nyssa. "And get him something to eat. Let him rest for tonight. Tomorrow he will join the new recruits."_

The sound of his phone chirping, loudly, woke Oliver with a gasp and he quickly, shakily, glanced around the room. Half expecting to be back in Nanda Parbat. Drawing a shallow breath he climbed from the bed, hurrying to grab his phone from where he'd left it, frowning when it showed caller unknown. He answered it with a grunted hello and heard the soft sigh of relief.

"Ollie, hey." Sara's voice drifted over the line and his frown deepened.

"Sara? How did..." He cut himself off and shook his head. "Never mind. What did you need?"

Sara let out a low sound and he could almost feel the stress when she spoke.

"Look I...I wasn't going to call but...but I thought you would want to know."

Oliver growled faintly. "Know what, Sara? What's going on?"

She let out another of those low sounds and Oliver felt ice run through his veins when she finally answered him.

"It's Thea, Ollie."


	9. Chapter 9

Returning to Starling Oliver was quick to check on his sister and mother, both of whom were fine, before seeking out Sara. She had said Thea was in danger, and he believed her, but he needed to know more. Needed to know what made Sara believe it.

He found her at Verdant, cleaning up, and wasn't surprised when, even though her back was to him, she chuckled.

"You're like a shadow," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "But you let the door squeak when you came in."

Oliver knew he should have been polite, engaged in witty banter or something, but his concern for Thea was overriding his good sense.

"You called because you said my sister was in danger."

Sara sighed and nodded. "Come on," she said, gesturing towards the door that led to the basement. He followed her and, once they were in the foundry, she crossed to a table, picking up a knife.

"I found this a few days ago," she asked, holding the knife out to him. Does it look familiar?"

He didn't need to take it to recognize it for what it was.

A League blade.

A calling card. A warning.

"Where did you find that?" He was surprised at how steady his voice was. Especially considering his heart was suddenly racing.

"In the wall upstairs," was the soft reply. "I hid it before Thea could see it." She carefully set the knife on the table. "I know it belongs to someone in the League, Ollie, but I...I don't know what to do about it. Not without telling Thea things. Things you don't seem to want her, or your mother, to know."

Oliver rumbled faintly.

"I'll try to draw them away," he said, turning, heading towards the door. "Maybe this time..."

"You know just as well as I do that it won't work, Ollie," Sara growled, causing him to fall still, but he didn't turn back around. "You tried running. Two months ago and they...they just circled right back because they know if they target your family you'll come running back."

"What do you want from me," he demanded, whirling back around, glaring at Sara. "Huh? I am trying to keep the people I care about safe! Maybe I'm not doing it the way you think I should but I am doing the best I can with what I got."

Sara huffed and shook her head.

"You're running, is what you're doing, Oliver. From the past. From your family. From the League." She took a small step towards him. "When you started running you never stopped."

Oliver growled again.

"You don't know anything about me, not anymore," he rumbled before turning and storming off, ignoring Sara's shouts, her pleas for him to stop.

He prowled, silent and fuming, through the Glades.

He knew he would eventually circle back to Verdant, talk things out with Sara, but the time being he knew it was best to just walk. To clear his head.

He neared one of the run down overpasses and, had just started to cross beneath its shadow, when he caught a familiar scent over the dozens that barraged the Glades. He came to a halt and watched the assassin, dressed in red and black, hood shadowing her face, as she landed gracefully, having used a length of strengthened silk to drop down from the overpass. He held completely still as she prowled towards him.

He would forever deny the way his heart stuttered, the trickle of fear that ran down his spine, as he watched her.

Just like he would deny the surprise that pulsed through him when, instead of attacking, she pushed her hood back, revealing her dark, stunning face, before she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He returned the embrace out of habit, and love, cheek pressed to her dark hair, her scent, familiar, like the pages of old books and fresh cut grass, washed over him like a wave and he couldn't help but rumble. It was as though the last several months was gone and they were back in Nanda Parbat. It was what caused him to step away from her, pulling from her embrace, earning a look that was equal parts hurt and annoyance.

"I've had better greetings," she teased and Oliver couldn't help but smile, though it was shaky.

"I'm sorry...I just...I...I didn't know what you..."

A frown graced that beautiful face.

"You thought I came to kill you," she said and shook her head, dark hair framing her face, eyes sparkling even in the dim light. She took his hand in hers, lacing their fingers, her touch familiar and comforting.

"Look, we...we should talk," he replied, uncomfortable with even the thought of her trying to kill him.

"Of course," she replied, giving him a small smile. "Do we need permission from your friend?"

He frowned but watched as she turned and he shouldn't have been so surprised to see Sara, dressed in her Canary gear, just a few feet away. He watched his fellow assassin fully turn to face Sara, that confident smirk on her face.

"I am Nyssa," she rumbled, sounding more Alpha than Omega. "Daughter of Ra's al Ghul, Heir to the Demon."

"What are you doing here," Sara demanded and Oliver wanted, more than anything, to tell her to stay out of it. To just go back to the foundry. But he couldn't seem to find his voice.

"Oliver swore his allegiance to the League, to my father," Nyssa replied calmly. "It's time for my _akhi_ to return home."

"That," Sara growled, taking a daring step forward. "Is not happening."

Oliver saw the subtle tensing in Nyssa's shoulders and quickly darted forward. "Nyssa," he caught her arm as he spoke. "Please, just...just give us a minute."

Nyssa studied him for a moment before nodding. "Take your time, _akhi_." She touched his arm lightly. "Goodbyes are never easy. Is that why I didn't get one?"

Oliver's heart leapt and he saw the brief flicker of guilt in Nyssa's eyes.

" _Ana asfa, akhi,_ " she murmured before moving off a short distance. Oliver watched her for a moment before turning to Sara.

"Look..."

"You're not going with her, Ollie," Sara growled, shooting a glare full of daggers towards Nyssa but he saw the flicker of interest in her gaze as well. "I don't trust her."

He reached out, cupping Sara's cheek, bringing her gaze back to him.

"Then trust me." He smiled slightly. "Please."

Sara let out a soft rumble, clearly not wanting him to go, but didn't stop him when he walked to where Nyssa was standing, leaving with the female assassin. They walked together for a while before Nyssa finally spoke again.

"You look different," she said, reaching up, gloved fingers lightly brushing his cheek, the heavy stubble that had grown in.

"I'm still me, Nyssa."

Nyssa shook her head. "No, no you...you seem so weary, _akhi_ ," she spoke softly, thumb rubbing at a stress line she could see beneath Oliver's eye. "The strain of blocking the bond is taking a heavy toll on you. My father fairs little better."

Oliver sighed softly.

"I didn't have a choice, Nys." He shook his head. "After the earthquake...I had to be sure my family was safe."

"And they are," Nyssa replied, shaking her head slightly. "Now, please, _akhi_ , for your sake and my father's, come home."

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment. "Nyssa, I..." He paused and slowly opened his eyes. "I can't. I can't keep...killing...I just...this darkness inside me...I've carried it for so long and now it's...it's crushing me."

"Oliver," Nyssa whispered his name, finally seeing the weight he seemed to be carrying. Just like when she had found him on Lian Yu. "I know this life is not easy. But...But you swore an oath."

Oliver drew a slow, deep breath. "I'm just so...so tired, Nyssa. Please...I don't think I can do it anymore."

"Oliver..."

"I just want some sort of peace, _okht_ ," he whispered, looking at her almost sadly. "That's all."

Nyssa let out a soft sound and hugged him again. His arms wrapped around her in return even as his body trembled slightly.


	10. Chapter 10

Nyssa left Oliver at the clock tower, his makeshift safe house, to rest. Her concern for him mounting with every beat of her heart. He was weary, she could see it clear as day, but there was something else. Something had changed in him during his time away from Nanda Parbat. And while she was certain some of it came from the strained bond he shared with her father she knew something else had chiselled away at the strength that had once shone like a beacon in the male Omega.

Uncertain where else to turn for answers she made her way to _Verdant_ , the club owned by Oliver's true sister and where his friend, Sara, the one who dared challenge her, challenge the League itself, for Oliver, worked.

The place was thrumming with life, people laughing and dancing, and she frowned as she made her way slowly through the crowd. Her keen eyes missing nothing.

She found Sara at the bar and the moment the blonde woman laid eyes on her a scowl darkened that rather beautiful face.

"The hell do you want," Sara growled faintly, eyeing Nyssa closely, subtly making a gesture with her hand that caused Nyssa to glance over her shoulder in time to spot the man, large, dark skinned, battle hardened eyes, slipping back into the crowd. Ah, so Sara Lance had allies of her own. Useful information.

"I would speak with you," Nyssa said as she returned her attention to the blonde. "About Oliver."

Sara hissed unexpected, hurriedly glancing around. "Keep it down would you," she muttered before asking one of the other bartenders to cover for her for a few minutes and then hopping the bar, catching Nyssa's elbow in a grip that the female assassin could have easily broken but she was somewhat intrigued by Sara, even as her fellow Omega drug her towards the stairs leading to the second floor of the club.

"Look," Sara said as they walked. "Ollie...He doesn't want people knowing he's alive so..."

"And simply saying the name _Oliver_ will alert the world that a man thought dead for nearly six years isn't?" Nyssa frowned, not understanding the logic Sara was using or how the woman seemed to draw such conclusions. "This serves..."

Sara growled sharply, almost like an Alpha, yanking open a door marked _Employees Only_ , before guiding Nyssa inside, the door snapping shut behind them. A quick glance around provided enough information that Nyssa surmised the room as, actually, a storage closest of sorts.

"I'm not helping you hunt down Ollie if that's what you came here for," Sara said, finally releasing Nyssa, moving to stand by one the shelves, arms crossing over her chest as she glared daggers at Nyssa. "He's my friend. I won't let you..."

"Let me do what, exactly?" Nyssa tipped her head to one side slightly. "What exactly is it that you think I am here to do to my _akhi_?"

Sara's nose wrinkled slightly.

"You called him that earlier," she mused, using it as a way to not answer Nyssa's question. " _Akhi_." She frowned. "What does it mean?"

Nyssa smiled slightly, a warmth filling her merely think of what the word meant when it came to Oliver. "It means brother."

Sara's nose wrinkled further.

Nyssa found she looked rather adorable.

"Brother," Sara muttered before shaking her head. "Is that what you see him as?"

"Yes." Nyssa saw no sense in lying. Not about her closeness, her love, for Oliver. "From the moment I first met him I felt protective of him. Even when he proved more than capable of taking care of himself."

"So that's why you're trying to drag him back to a life of death and killing?" Sara's expression dropped into a scowl. "Because you care about him?"

"I seek no such thing if it is no longer his wish," Nyssa corrected, shaking her head, dark curls falling forward to frame her face. "What I seek is to return him home, to his Alpha, before the stress from the strained bond does more harm to him and to his mate."

Sara blinked.

Her expression changing in a heartbeat.

She was surprised.

Nyssa realized that the other woman hadn't known Oliver was bonded. It was, likely, one of many secrets Oliver had kept. And she had just let the cat out of the bag. She would make it up to him later. Right now she needed to convince Sara to help her.

"But that stress is not the only reason I am concerned for Oliver," she pressed on, not letting on that she had picked up on Sara's emotions. "He has...He has changed. It is not just concern for his family that caused him to run. Something...Something troubles him. Deeply."

"So ask him about it."

"Do you think I have not tried?" Nyssa shook her head. "He simply retreats into himself. Closes off. I do not have the words to reach him.

"And you think I do?"

"You have known him far longer than I."

"Yeah, and for the last five years I thought he was dead."

Sara sighed after snarling the words, shoving a hand through her hair, before she began pacing.

"Look," she said after a minute or two, turning her attention back to Nyssa. "I...I don't know what answers you were hoping to find by coming here but I don't have them. Up until a few months ago the last time I saw Oliver was...was on Lian Yu. And he's...he's different. So damn different that there are times I look at him and I can't believe that it's really Oliver."

Sara sighed against and shrugged her shoulders. "I want to help him, I do," she spoke honestly and Nyssa saw that same honesty reflected in Sara's eyes. "But I don't know how to help him. How to get through to him. I'm sorry."

Nyssa made a soft sound, an almost placating sound, and she did not blame Sara for not having the answers she had been seeking. She started towards the door, pausing for a moment, turning back, meeting Sara's gaze.

"Oliver is lucky to have a friend like you, Miss Lance. I can see now why he loves you as he does."

Without another word she turned and left the room, leaving a shocked Sara behind her.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Nyssa returned to the clock tower to find Oliver standing by one of the windows, dressed in his League gear, hood pushed back, face shadowed by the dim lighting.

"Oliver?"

"I started thinking, after you left," he spoke quietly, though it seemed more like he was thinking aloud rather than actually talking to her. "About why you, of all the League, came to fetch me. At first I thought it was because of our friendship. That you were meant to be seen as a friendly face." He slowly turned to look at her. "But then I realized Ra's chose you because of your loyalty. To him, to the League, above everything else."

"Oliver..."

"If you can't bring me back, Nyssa, what exactly were your orders?"

Nyssa glanced down and Oliver took the opportunity to cross the room towards her, his bow gripped tightly in his hand, eyes fixed on the woman he loved as deeply as he loved Thea.

"Were you ordered to kill me, _okht_?"

Nyssa's head snapped up and her gaze blazed with her outrage.

"How can you even think that?" Her voice was sharp and full of her disbelief at his question. "How can you...my father is many things, Oliver, but he would never do that. Never. He loves you."

"And I've broken sacred laws," Oliver growled faintly. "He wouldn't betray those laws. Not for me."

"He already has."

Oliver blinked. "What?"

"When you did not return, after Al-Owal's death, he should have called for your execution, bonded or not. But he did not." Nyssa remembered her father's decree as if he had spoken the words only moment before. The fierceness in him. The desire to see his Omega home, safe and sound. "Instead he ordered that you be returned, unharmed, alive and safe. You are _Habib al Ghul_ , _akhi_. You are held in higher regard than any consort who might have come before you. Even my own mother."

"Nyssa..."

"I do not doubt my father loved my mother, or any of the consorts who came before her, but that pales in comparison to the love he has for you. He _bonded_ with you, Oliver. Never before in the history of his rule has that happened."

Oliver drew a slow, deep breath before shaking his head.

"That doesn't answer my question, Nyssa." He shifted his stance, slightly, subtly, and anyone else might have missed it but Nyssa didn't. She knew that stance. He found fight her depending on what she said next. "What did he order you to do if I refused to return with you?"

Nyssa made a soft sound. "You know, or at least suspect, or else you would not be asking."

Oliver rumbled darkly. "My family."

She didn't reply but knew he had pieced it together because his rumble became a dark growl.

"I will die before I let anything happen to my mother or sister."

"I do not wish to harm your loved ones, Oliver," Nyssa quickly said, not wanting him, for even a moment, to believe that. She truly did not want to hurt Moira or Thea Queen. "So, please, just come home with me."

Oliver looked away from her for a moment before he rumbled softly. "I can't," he murmured, looking at her again. "Whatever is left of my soul it...it can't take the killing anymore, Nyssa. It just can't."

"You...You won't have to kill."

"And I'm just supposed to believe that?"

" _Akhi_ ," Nyssa started but Oliver shook his head.

"I originally joined the League because of a vow I made to my father," he said as he took a small step back. "I took my vow for the League because I fell in love your father."

"Oliver." Nyssa started to step forward but Oliver stepped back.

"Your father listens to you. If you tell him...just tell him I broke...that I...I can't do this anymore, he'll understand."

Even as he said the words Oliver felt the push at the bond, Ra's had no doubt felt his distress over this entire situation and was trying to comfort him, even though the Alpha didn't know what had initially caused the distress.

"Why can you not just tell him that yourself?"

"Because if...if I see him again I can't be certain I won't just...just keeping being a killer simply to make him happy."

Nyssa let out an almost distressed sound.

"Oliver... _akhi_...my father would do anything for _your_ happiness, don't you understand?"

Oliver wanted to believe that but he had doubts. So many doubts. So many fears.

And when he felt Ra's press at the bond, felt concern and comfort trickling through the small crack in his defences, he snarled and shook his head.

"I'm not going back," he rumbled, fingers clenching tightly against his bow. "And I won't let you hurt the people I care about."

"Oliver..."

Before Nyssa could say anything more Oliver drew, nocked and loosed an arrow.

The female Omega easily plucked the arrow from the air, knowing if Oliver had truly wanted to hurt or kill her he would have, and when she looked up she let out a frustrated sound when she saw he had disappeared.


	11. Chapter 11

After leaving Nyssa at the clock tower Oliver shadowed his family as much as he could.

Moira was running for mayor and, as such, was out in the public enough that targeting her would be easy. Especially for Nyssa or any other member of the League.

He did his best to keep vigil, to be the silent, unseen guardian.

He learned a great deal in doing so.

His mother was still strong, as he remembered, but he saw her humility, her willingness to right her wrongs by serving the city, the people, she had failed. She didn't want to be mayor because it would be a status symbol. She truly wanted to make a difference. To make Starling a better place. His mother seemed to be rising, to be overcoming the darkness that she had brought into her life, and while he was glad for it he also envied her. He had started his path into darkness with those same hopes, the same wants, to protect and help people, in mind and had fallen so far that he wasn't certain he could ever be redeemed.

Beyond his mother's mayoral ambitions he learned more of her husband, a Beta named Walter Steele, and a man who, once, had been a close friend of his father.

Walter, Oliver quickly learned, had not abandoned Moira.

Not for a single moment.

Through her hardships he had stood by her. Had proven his love and devotion to her and the Queen family. Beyond his relationship with Moira, and the positive impact he had had on Thea, Walter was also CEO of Queen Consolidated and, under his guidance, even since the earthquake, which the company's Applied Sciences Division had help create, the company had flourished. Even with the attempted takeover from a shrewd business woman named Isabel Rochev.

The woman's name rang familiar but Oliver couldn't place it.

So, in the end, he dismissed it.

Rochev was hardly a threat to his family, not in the same sense as the League, and Oliver was quick to turn his attention from her and back to protecting his family.

He wasn't surprised when, one night at _Verdant_ , while keeping a discreet eye on Thea, Sara came sidled through the crowd and up to his side.

"Trying to keep track of you is like trying to catch smoke," she mused and Oliver couldn't help but grin as he leaned against the rail, watching Thea as she shared a dance with Roy, his ball cap pulled low to further shadow his features.

"Perk of being an assassin."

He meant it to be teasing but Sara didn't smile.

"Your friend came to see me a few days ago," she said, looking up at him. "Wanted my help."

Oliver frowned. "To do what?"

"She's noticed the same thing I have." Sara reached up, lightly brushing her thumb against Oliver's cheek. "That you're hiding a lot more pain than you want anyone to realize."

"I don't know what..."

"Stop that," Sara immediately scolded, sounding more like a parent than either of his ever had. "Stop shutting out the people who care about you, Ollie."

Oliver let out a huff of breath and shook his head.

"There's nothing going on."

Sara shook her head. "I don't believe that." She gripped his shoulder lightly. "I know...I know how hard it can be. Trying to fit into who you were when...when you're not that person anymore, Ollie. But the thing is...you...you got to let someone in. Otherwise you'll...you'll drive yourself insane."

Oliver let out a low sound and started to say something but the words died when he saw Thea suddenly turn, someone having come up to her, saying something he could catch over the din of the music and crowd. But he knew that body language.

"Something's wrong," he said, frown deepening, body tensing, watching as his sister suddenly shook her head before running from the dance floor.

Before he could take more than two steps Sara's friend, the little geek, Felicity, came running up to them, tablet in hand.

"You guys need to see this," the blonde said quickly, her glasses slipping down her nose, turning the tablet for them to watch the breaking news report that, it seemed, was on nearly every news channel in Starling.

_"Just minutes ago, mayoral candidate, Moira Queen, was abducted outside of_ Queen Consolidated. It is unclear who the abductors were or why Mrs Queen was taken. We will continue to bring you updates as we..."

Oliver snarled and surged passed Sara, who stopped him by grabbing hold of his arm.

"Oliver," she started but he growled and jerked free of her grasp.

"Nyssa took my mother."

"We don't..."

"It's Nyssa," Oliver growled in reply. "I know it is."

"Oliver..."

Before Sara could say anything else Oliver's cell phone rang.

The caller id was blocked but Oliver knew, just knew, that it was Nyssa.

"Nyssa," he rumbled as he answered the call. "If you hurt my mother, I swear, I will..."

"I have already told you," Nyssa interjected quickly. "That I have no desire to harm your loved ones. I am, however, not above using them to get what I want."

"Nyssa," Oliver growled, sounding more dangerous than Sara had ever heard him sound before.

"You have one day, Al Sa-him," Nyssa replied firmly. "I trust you'll make the right choice."

She ended the call and Oliver let out a broken sound before spinning, starting towards the nearest exit, but Sara grabbed his arm again.

"You're not going back to them," she said and Oliver couldn't suppress the growl that bubbled up from his chest. "Ollie, we'll...we'll get Moira back but you're not going back to the League."

Oliver once more jerked free of her grasp, still growling, like an animal caught in a trap.

"You don't understand," he snapped. "I have twenty-four-hours. If I don't do what Nyssa wants she _will_ kill my mother."

"Ollie..."

"I'm not going to let my mother die. Not because of me."

He turned and continued on his way, ignoring when Sara called out to him.

Outside he spotted Thea getting into a car with Roy, going to meet with Walter and the police no doubt and he wanted to go to her, to assure her he would bring Moira home. But he couldn't. His focus had to shift. Had to be on what he had to do. For his mother's sake. For Thea's.

He didn't know why but he ended up going home, to the Queen Estate, and, prowling through the dark grounds, he eventually found himself standing before the headstones his family had put up for him and his father. He stood, staring at Robert's, for the longest time. Thinking of the request his father had made.

_"Make it home. Right my wrongs."_

He didn't feel he had lived up to that request.

He had fought so hard to make the world a better place, had killed countless people, saved so many innocent lives from evil, but he still felt like a failure.

His father had wanted him to save Starling City and he hadn't had the strength to do that.

He hadn't wanted to bring his darkness back to his city or his family.

But darkness had found both regardless.

He drew a deep breath as he slowly knelt down, reaching out to brush a few fallen leaves from the base of his father's headstone.

"I..." His voice cracked slightly and he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Dad." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I...I've tried...so hard to be the man you...you wanted me to be but I just...I've done so many things that aren't...that aren't what you would have wanted and now...now Mom's in danger. Because of me."

Oliver didn't realize he was crying until a tear rolled down his cheek and he quickly brushed it away. He drew another breath and closed his eyes for a moment, bowing his head, before finally finding the will, the strength, to look at the headstone again. Knowing his father would never truly rest here.

"I'm going to make this right, Dad." His hands clenched tightly into fists, his determination to save his mother burning through him, renewing some of the fight he had thought he'd lost over the last several months. "I'm going to bring Mom home to Thea. I swear it."

He bowed his head again, whispering a soft prayer, before he stood. Giving his father's headstone a final look. He started to turn, planning to leave, to go to Nyssa, to end this madness, when a voice, full of shock, sounded behind him.

"Oliver?"


	12. Chapter 12

"Oliver?" Dark eyes stared at him in shock. "Oh my God, it's...it's really you."

Before Oliver could do or say anything Walter was moving, wrapping him up in a hug that, funnily enough, reminded him of his father. Instinct guided him and he returned the embrace, leaning into Walter, closing his eyes for a moment, letting out a soft sound even as Walter's grip tightened a fraction.

"Oh my God," the Beta breathed as he drew back slightly, hands still gripping Oliver's shoulders, staring at him with shock and awe. "Oliver. I...God there aren't words enough to describe how good it is to see you. Your sister and mother will be so happy to see you, they'll..." Walter cut off just as quickly as he began and Oliver knew it was because mentioning Moira had reminded the Beta of her abduction. "God...Oliver...I don't...I don't know how to tell you but your mother she..."

"I know."

Walter blinked. "You...know?"

Oliver nodded slowly. "I know she was taken."

Walter frowned. "Do you...Do you know who?"

Again Oliver nodded.

"I do," he said admitted softly. "But I'm taking care of it. I'm...I'm going to bring her home."

"What? Oliver, how...how on earth are you planning to do that? The police have no leads and..." Suddenly Walter's frown deepened and he studied Oliver's face for a long, quiet moment, and whatever he saw in the Omega's face seemed to be enough for him to draw his own conclusions. "You know who took Moira."

Oliver sighed and gave a silent nod. "It's...It's complicated but...but I swear, Walter, that I'm going to bring my mother home."

"Oliver," Walter spoke softly, his voice full of concern. "I...I don't understand. What's going on? Where...Where the bloody hell have you been for the last six years? And what does it have to do with Moira being abducted?"

"There isn't time to explain all of that." Oliver wished there was because Walter deserved the truth. His entire family deserved the truth but he couldn't give it. Not now. Right now he had to rescue his mother. "But...But this is happening because of me. Because of my choices. But I'm...I'm going to fix it."

"Oliver..."

Before Walter could say anything else Oliver's cell phone rang.

Sara.

She relayed the information that Felicity had. Saying they'd used dirt found where Moira was abducted to an abandoned building in the Glades. It was a solid lead. One that might just lead them to Nyssa and Moira. He thanked her and quickly ended the call.

"I've got a lead on Mom," he said to Walter as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. "I need to go."

"Oliver," Walter caught his arm as he started to walk away, gently tugging him to a stop. "Wait, please, you're sister...Thea...she's just inside and she...I know she would want to know you're..."

"No." Oliver spoke more sharply than he had meant to and there was a growl in her voice he rarely used but he couldn't risk Walter thinking he wasn't serious. "No, Thea she...she can't know about me."

"What? Oliver, what are you..."

"She _can't_ know I'm still alive, Walter. Her or my mother." Oliver shook his head. "If they knew they...they would never stop looking for me and that could get them both killed."

Walter's eyes widened in shock. "Oliver..."

"Look," Oliver said quickly. "I know you love my mother and Thea. So I'm asking you...no...I'm begging you...not to tell them. Or anyone."

Walter looked saddened by Oliver's request but, after a long moment of tense silence, he slowly nodded.

"Alright," the Beta said softly, gripping Oliver's arm slightly, almost comfortingly. "Alright, Oliver, but...but I want you to know that whatever happens...wherever you've been...it won't matter. You can always come home."

Oliver blinked back tears and nodded before taking his leave.

He knew Walter was an honourable man and would keep his word.

He also knew the Beta had meant it when he'd said that he could come home.

He just knew that wouldn't be happening.

He met up with Sara on a rooftop near _Verdant_ and together they went hunting.

The place in the Glades, an abandoned apartment building, was empty but Sara took note that the candles were still warm. Meaning someone had just been there so they waited, confident that whoever was using the place would return. And they did.

The man, a member of the League, even taken by surprise put up a fight.

And, in the end, though they managed to beat him, slipped their grasp by taking some sort of poison. Dying at Oliver's feet with a final murmur in Arabic that had the Omega's heart stuttering.

"Damn it," Sara hissed, glaring daggers at the dead man. "He was our only lead." She twirled her bo staff up until it rested against her shoulder. She looked at Oliver with a small frown. "What did he say?"

Oliver jerked from his thoughts and looked up at her.

"What?"

Sara's frown deepened but instead of calling Oliver on his obvious distraction she huffed and nodded towards the dead man.

"He said something to you. I was wondering if it might be something helpful."

Oliver quickly shook his head. "It...It wasn't. Just..." He shook his head again, fingers flexing around his bow. "Just an old prayer."

Sara didn't look convinced but let the subject drop as they left the alleyway, heading back towards _Verdant_. The entire while the man's dying words kept playing over and over again through Oliver's mind.

_"Forgive me, Habib. I did only as I was told by the Heir."_

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

The hours slowly ticked by and Oliver used every trick he knew, every resource available to him, to try and find Nyssa and his mother but even with Sara's help, and the help of her friends and connections, there was nothing. And by morning he could no longer stay in the foundry. He ignored Sara's cautions and left, walking through the Glades, hat pulled down low, hiding his face.

Not that anyone in the Glades would have recognized him anyways.

Oliver Queen had been dead for six years.

All that was left was a ghost.

Oliver's steps slowed.

He remembered Sara telling him that they weren't ghosts. That they both had lived. Had survived. But at what cost? What had they sacrificed to survive?

The bond suddenly pulsed and he was quick to tramp down on it. Blocking it even as he felt the smallest trickle of concern through it.

He knew what he had given up to survive.

But he had gained something in exchange.

Drawing a deep breath he turned and headed towards the clock tower. Once there he readied himself. Not in his League gear but simple clothes. Including a black leather jacket that had been a gift the day he had completed his training and taken his new name. Pulling on the soft leather felt like being hugged by the man who had given it to him. He couldn't help but smile at the comparison. Before he left he paused and grabbed a small pouch from his League gear jacket, tucking it into his pocket.

As he walked again through the Glades he found his heart no longer hammered against his ribs. He no longer felt anxious and torn. For the first time in months he was calm and at peace with himself.

He made his way across town, unnoticed, just another faceless man moving through the crowd until he reached the local cemetery. The one where Tommy was buried. He stood before his friend's grave. The friend who had died believing he was dead. And slowly knelt, pulling the stone arrowhead he wore around his neck from beneath his shirt, fingers rubbing over the smooth stone.

"I wish I could have seen you one last time," he said softly, hoping that wherever Tommy was his friend could hear him. "I wish...I wish you could have known the man I became. Not...Not the killer or the...the broken soul...but the man who...who protected a little girl from being sold like cattle. The man who...who stood alone in defence of a village against a group of mercenaries. I wish you...I wish..."

Oliver felt tears roll down his face and he didn't both to wipe them away.

"I wish..." His voice cracked slightly. "I wish..." He closed his eyes for a moment and only opened them when he could speak again. "I wish I could have said goodbye. But this..." He slowly pulled the black leather cord from around his neck, laying the arrowhead next to Tommy's headstone. "This will have to do."

He stared at Tommy's name. At the heartfelt engraving of _Beloved son and friend_ and finally brushed his tears away.

"Goodbye, Tommy," he whispered before he closed his eyes and, for the first time in months, fully opened up the bond between him and his mate.

He was thankful he was still kneeling because the sudden rush of relief, love and concern that washed over him would have otherwise brought him to his knees. Drawing a deep, steadying breath, he shivered as he could all but feel arms wrapping around him and almost hear that deep, rumbling sound his Alpha made when holding him.

He let out a low sound and fished his phone from his pocket, dialling a number from heart, counting to five before the call was answered.

"Oliver."

He shivered at the sound of a voice he hadn't heard in months. For a moment his voice stuck in his throat and his Alpha rumbled faintly.

"It's alright, _habib albi_." Ra's voice was calm, that steady, sooth timbre it always was, but Oliver heard the underlying tone. The carefully control anger. Of course the Alpha would be angry. He'd run. Broken his vows. And worse he'd closed off the bond between them for months. "It's alright, I'm not..." Ra's paused momentarily. "No. No, I am angry, I cannot lie to you about that but my relief outweighs that anger. Please, _habib_ , I just...I need to know that you are safe."

"You know I am," Oliver finally managed to whisper. "You can feel it."

"I feel your love and comfort, yes, but also your confliction. I know you are anxious. But I can't tell why, _habib_."

Oliver huffed. "You told your daughter to abduct and threaten my mother. Now why would I be anxious?"

"I assure you, _habib_ , you're mother is in no danger."

"Unless I refuse to come back to Nanda Parbat."

There was a momentary pause and Oliver growled, faintly, fingers tightly gripping his phone. "Do you really think killing my family would make me come home, _ya hayati_?"

"I do not wish death upon your loved ones, Oliver." In Ra's voice Oliver could hear the truth and he let out a long, slow breath. "I just...I want you to come home. _Wahashtini, habib_ "

Oliver closed his eyes at those words.

_I miss you, beloved._

His heart stuttered and, as he opened his eyes, fresh tears spilled down his face. "And...And if I don't? If I don't come back? What then, _ya hayati_?"

"Oliver... _habib_..."

"If I don't," Oliver continued, feeling rather than hearing Ra's confliction, he knew his mate had already broken sacred laws for him. But he doubted how much further the Alpha's patience would stretch. "Nyssa will kill my mother and sister. Possibly my friends here in Starling City."

" _Habib_..."

"Don't worry," Oliver said as he slowly stood, knees quivering slightly, his body slowly becoming accustomed once more to feeling the full strength of the bond between him and Ra's. "I'll make the right choice, _ya hayati_."

"Oliver, please, wait..."

Oliver disconnected the call and stood, gripping the phone tightly, taking a final look at Tommy's headstone before he scrolled through his recent calls, finding the one from Nyssa and tapping it. The call was answered almost immediately.

"Oliver," her voice was smooth, almost warm, and he knew her father hadn't yet been able to relay the news to her that he'd reached out to him. "I trust you've made your decision."

"I have."

"And?"

"Let my mother go. And I'll return with you."

Nyssa let out a soft, relieved laugh. "You're doing the right thing, _akhi_."

Oliver whined softly, too softly for her to hear, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the phone tighter. "Tell me where to meet you."

Nyssa relayed the address before the call ended and Oliver tucked his phone back into his pocket, exchanging it for the pouch he had taken from his gear. Removing the pouches only content, a small vial full of blue liquid, he stared at it for a moment before popping the top and downing the contents.

There was no taste but a slight burn in the back of his throat.

He drew a deep breath and, after crushing the vial beneath the heal of his boot, went to meet Nyssa. 

Knowing he'd have plenty of time to get to the warehouse before the poison began to take effect.


	13. Chapter 13

Sara paced through the foundry like a caged animal, waiting for Felicity's computer program to get a hit on Oliver's phone, her fear and worry for her friend, and his mother, were starting to get to her. She felt useless. Oliver had disappeared into the blood wind, again, and she had a sinking feeling that he was going to do something stupid in an attempt to get his mother back.

"You need to calm down," Diggle said firmly from where he was standing, the Alpha watching her with a narrowed gaze.

"I am calm," she growled back and Diggle huffed, shaking his head.

"If this is calm I don't want to see you when you're worked up."

Sara growled again, about to fire back with a response, when Felicity suddenly let out an excited squeak.

"I got him! I got Oliver!" Felicity said, waving her hand to get their attention and Sara rushed to where the computers were, looking over her friend's shoulder at the monitor, seeing the address that was blinking. "He's in the Glades. Down near the docks."

"That must be where Nyssa is holed up with Moira," Sara rumbled, turning, grabbing her jacket and her bo staff.

"Need back up," Diggle asked but Sara shook her head.

"You keep an eye on Thea and Walter," she said, shrugging into her jacket, sliding her mask on. "I've can handle a couple of assassins."

"What if Oliver's decided to go back with them?"

Sara rumbled and shook her head. "That's not happening. I won't let it."

"You may not have much of a choice in that," Diggle said, crossing his arms over his chest, giving her that look that said _you know I'm right, you just don't want to admit it_. "He might be gone by the time you get there."

"He won't be."

"How do you know, though," Felicity asked quietly from where she was still sitting. "I mean...I like Oliver, Sara, but...but if he thinks that it's the only way to save his mother...to save everyone he loves...wouldn't he go? To protect everyone?"

Sara let out a low sound, not willing to accept the logic her friend had presented, even though she knew it was sound. Oliver would sacrifice himself to save others. It wouldn't be the first time he'd done it. Before she could leave Diggle spoke again.

"Okay, what if Oliver doesn't leave. What if he, I don't know, kills Nyssa? Wouldn't that be the better outcome?"

Sara rumbled and shook her head. "No." She looked at her friend. "Nyssa is the daughter of the leader of the League and if even half of the stories I've heard of Ra's al Ghul are true...if anything happens to his daughter...all of Starling will pay."

Diggle actually had the good sense to look worried but Sara didn't have time to deal with that. She had to focus on helping Oliver.

"I'll contact you as soon as this is over," she said as she headed for the stairs.

She heard Diggle rumble faintly as she left the foundry, ready to fight to get not only to free Moira but Oliver as well.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

After the call from Oliver Nyssa knew it wouldn't be long before he arrived. She untied Moira carefully, gently. Glad she had not had to resort to harsher means to keep the woman compliant.

"You'll be free soon," she said, not concerned about Moira seeing her face. Soon she and her brother would be far from Starling City. They would be home. Back where they belonged. "This will all be over."

Moira rubbed at her wrists and gave Nyssa a withered look.

"I don't understand," the Beta said with a shake of her head. "What...Why are you doing this?"

"Because you make a very powerful bargaining chip." Nyssa regarded Moira, seeing much of Oliver in his mother. "I've no desire to harm you."

Moira huffed. "Merely use me as some sort of pawn in a game I...I don't even understand."

Nyssa was about to reply when Oliver's voice cut through the air.

"Nyssa."

Moira's head snapped around and Nyssa could almost feel the woman's shock it was so palpable.

They both watched as Oliver, sans League gear, emerged through the shadows. His gate slow, steady. Almost like a man walking to the gallows. Moira slowly stood, still staring, eyes wide with shock and disbelief, at the son she had believed dead for six years.

"Oliver?" Her voice shook and Oliver let out a soft sound and a sad smile crossed his face.

"Mom."

It was all he said and Moira let out a broken sob, rushing forward, arms wrapping tightly around him, hugging him, hands gripping the back of his jacket tightly. Even as she sobbed lightly into his shoulder.

"Oliver," she sobbed his name as he returned the embrace, breathing in the scent of her perfume, her shampoo, her natural Beta scent. "My beautiful boy."

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment, basking in the warmth and love of his mother, before he slowly pulled back, cupping her face between his hands, fighting back tears.

"I need...I need you to go, Mom." He spoke softly, barely sparing Nyssa a glance. "Okay? I need...I need you to walk out that door and...and keep walking, okay?"

"What?" Moira shook her head, one hand curling around Oliver's wrist, the other still gripping his jacket. "Oliver...Oliver, no, no baby. I'm not leaving you. I'm not..."

"Mom, please." Oliver glanced at Nyssa and saw the way she was watching them. It wasn't envy he saw in her eyes but sorrow. Sorrow that she was taking him from his mother after she had just learned he was still alive. "I need you to go."

"Oliver..."

"I love you, Mom," Oliver said, pressing a quick kiss to Moira's cheek. "But I...I have to go."

"Oliver...please...what are you...what are you talking about?"

"Mom, please, just...just go. Okay? I...I promise I'll be okay but I...I need you to go." Oliver turned his head and peered into the shadows. "Canary, get my mother out of here."

Nyssa appeared surprised by Sara's sudden appearance but Oliver had spotted her before he'd even walked into the warehouse. As the blonde Omega crossed to them Moira tried to fight, tried to stay with Oliver, a mother unwilling to leave her child, but Sara managed to pull her out of the warehouse. Once they were gone, Moira's cries of Oliver's name fading away, he turned to Nyssa, who smiled softly at him.

"You've made the right choice, _akhi_ ," she said softly and he nodded even as his legs suddenly went numb and, as he tried to take another step, his knees buckled.

He barely felt hitting the floor but he did feel when Nyssa grabbed his arm as he tried to rise again, control of his body slowly slipping away.

"Oliver? _Akhi_?" Nyssa cupped his cheek, her gaze studying his face intently, her sharp gaze easily seeing the tint of blue to his lips. "No...No, you didn't...you wouldn't..."

Oliver felt a flare of panic through the bond. Ra's no doubt sensed his laboured breathing, the numbness washing over him, the bond fading in and out as death slowly crept nearer and nearer. When he couldn't keep himself up any longer, almost collapsing to the floor again, Nyssa's arms suddenly wrapped around him, cradling him.

"Oliver?!" She sounded afraid and, hands shaking, he reached up, gripping her arm as tightly as he could with tingling fingers.

"Don't...Don't hate me..." Oliver panted, uncertain if he was talking to Nyssa or to Ra's, who was a sudden presence in the back of his mind, a buzz that kept fading in and out like a flickering candle flame. "Please...I just can't...can't keep killing anymore. Can't...Can't carry the darkness...it's...it's crushing me..."

He felt the sudden rush of emotions from his Alpha, even with the shaky bond, and he couldn't help but reach out through it, even now wanting to feel his Alpha. He knew this would bring Ra's unimaginable pain. He had no idea what a broken bond felt like. No idea what it would do to the Alpha and he was sorry for that. Deeply sorry. He pushed those feelings, that regret, through the bond. Wanting his Alpha to know, to understand, how sorry he was.

"Oliver, please," Nyssa's voice was right in his ear, drawing him back from the bond, from feeling Ra's, who, though still panicked, kept pushing comforting, gently vibes through the bond, trying to calm him. "Please, hold on. You..."

Suddenly Nyssa snarled and he heard her knife being drawn from its sheath.

He blinked, the world having gone hazy and grey, but he heard Sara's voice, though it sounded a so far away.

"I can save him, Nyssa," the blonde was saying, though Nyssa growled faintly. "I can save him."

The world blurred out, darkness creeping in, but he felt someone, Nyssa or Sara, he wasn't certain which, push something, some sort of herb into his mouth. It was disgusting. Tasted like a dirty ashtray. And for a moment he gagged, reflexively tried to spit it out, but someone pinched his nose while someone else gripped his jaw, leaving him no choice but to swallow or risk choking.

A heartbeat passed and then another before, with a raspy gasp, Oliver came up from the fog and darkness.

His body jackknifed in response to the sudden rush of feeling and oxygen that filled him, and through the bond he felt relief so palpable that he could taste it. Sara was at his side, gripping his arm, holding him, rubbing a hand over his back, telling him to breathe, to just relax and breathe. He gasped, panted for every breath, as the world came back into complete focus.

He jerked slightly when a hand ran over his hair, looking up, still gasping, he found Nyssa kneeling to his side opposite Sara, the look on her face one of fear mixed with relief.

When she leaned forward and pressed her forehead to his she let out a soft, almost broken, sound.

"Al Sa-him," she breathed his name, a name that would forever be part of who he was, and then whispered words that had his heart pounding so fast it was amazing it didn't break free of his ribs. "In the name of my father, Ra's al Ghul, I release you."

Before he could say anything approaching police sirens wailed and Moira came running back into the warehouse. She cried out Oliver's name when she saw him sitting on the ground and Sara quickly moved back as the woman rushed to her son, arms wrapping tightly around him, hugging him close, sobbing his name over and over again. Oliver wrapped his arms around her, hugging her, pressing his cheek to her hair as she clung to him, and when he looked around, just as the police, as Sara's father, came rushing in, both Sara and Nyssa had disappeared.

He heard shouts, heard offices barking orders even as Quentin snarled at them all to stand down, but it was Moira's cries that had the most effect.

"Don't...Don't shoot! He's my son! He's my son! It's my Oliver!"

He saw the shock, could almost feel it, even as, though the bond, he felt Ra's, reaching for him. He closed his eyes for a moment and reached back, all but feeling his Alpha take his hand, almost hearing Ra's murmur his name.


	14. Chapter 14

Nyssa watched, from a scheduled spot on a nearby rooftop, as Oliver and his mother were escorted, by police, from the warehouse. It wouldn't be long, she knew, before the world knew that Oliver Queen was still alive. She couldn't help but smile when he half turned, looking up towards her hiding spot, a small smile on his face. She knew she would answer for what she had done, releasing Oliver, but she sensed that it had been the right thing to do. After all, if you loved someone weren't you supposed to set them free?

She heard subtle movement behind her and glanced over her shoulder.

"Your stealth training is severely lacking," she mused, watching Sara as the blonde Omega prowled towards her.

"I'll keep that in mind," Sara said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I'm surprised you're still here."

"Despite what you may think of me I do care, deeply, for Oliver."

Sara smiled slightly. "I know." She stepped closer. "If you didn't you wouldn't have released him." She tipped her head to one side like a curious bird. "How much trouble are you going to get into because of that?"

Nyssa huffed a small laugh. "Not as much as Oliver will for trying to take his own life."

Sara couldn't help but chuckle but then her expression turned sombre. "You understand though, right, why he did it?"

Nyssa gave a slow nod. "It is part of why I released him." She gaze softened somewhat. "Oliver...he was never truly meant for a life in the League. He took it because he felt he deserved nothing else. I hope...I pray...that being with his family again might remind him that there is more to him than just the darkness."

Sara's smile returned, soft and small, and Nyssa once more found herself thinking how beautiful the blonde Omega was.

"You know, it's funny, but you're not really what I expected," Sara admitted and Nyssa couldn't help but laugh softly.

"You thought I was nothing more than a heartless assassin set on destroying the life you feel my _akhi_ deserves."

Sara's cheeks turned a dusty shade of pink, made darker by the black of her mask.

"I..." The blonde huffed and slowly nodded. "Yeah, yeah I did, actually." Her smile widened a tiny bit. "I'm actually glad you proved me wrong."

Nyssa let out a faint sound. A soft, gentle rumble.

"Oliver is indeed lucky to have you for a friend," the female assassin said as she slowly moved, thinking to let that be the end of the conversation but then she paused, turning back to Sara. "Look out for him, won't you? I know he's strong and more than capable of taking care of himself but I..." Nyssa hesitated and Sara gave her an understanding look.

"You worry about him," Sara surmised. "It's okay to admit it."

Nyssa chuckled softly.

"Ever since the day I found him I have worried over him in some way or another." She smiled again and reached out, lightly touching Sara's arm. "I believe you are no different, Ta-er al-Sahfer."

Sara's nose wrinkled in the most adorable way. Her confusion evident.

"What does that mean," the blonde asked, heading tipping to one side like a curious bird. "Ta-er al Sahfer?"

Nyssa's smile widened a tiny fraction. "Canary."

And, without another word, the female assassin disappeared into the night. Leaving Sara standing there alone, thinking over the exchange, before the blonde finally turned and headed off herself. Unfamiliar with the odd feeling tingling through her the entire while.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Oliver sat in the back of the unmarked police car, next to his mother, as an officer drove them to the Queen Estate. Moira had taken his hand in hers the moment he sat next to her and hadn't let go. She was still crying, silently, tears ghosting down her face, and every time she looked at him she made a soft sound that had his instincts demanding he comfort her. He just wasn't certain how.

As the car came to a slow stop he drew a deep breath, glancing out the window at the house that, from the day he'd been born to the day the _Gambit_ had gone down, had been his home. He'd once thought he'd give anything, everything, to get back here. Now he was nervous and uncertain.

His mother climbed from the car first and, slowly, he followed her.

She paused when he stood, tensely, next to the car. When she took his hand she gave him a smile. The same sort of smile she'd given him the day he'd first learned to ride a bike without training wheels. The smile that said she was there. That she would catch him if he fell.

"It's okay, sweetheart," she said softly, rubbing his arm soothingly. "It's okay."

Oliver smiled, though it was shaky, and together they made their way inside.

Waiting in the entryway was Walter who, the moment he saw the both of them, let out a low, relieved sound before he moved forward, wrapping his arms around them both, pressing a kiss to Moira's hair even as he gripped Oliver's shoulder tightly.

"I'm so glad you're both alright," Walter said softly as he slowly drew back, his gaze, when he looked at Oliver, saying more than the Beta himself did. "And Oliver...God...welcome home, son."

Oliver nodded and opened his mouth to speak when Thea's voice rang out.

"Mom?! Walter...Walter is that Mom?! Oh God tell me she's okay. Tell me she's..."

Walter turned just as Thea came dashing into the entryway, her heels scrapping across the floor as she came to a sharp stop, eyes fixed on Oliver, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as shock danced across her face. She let out a soft, disbelieving sound and shook her head, her dark curls bouncing around her face. When she took a small step forward, hands shaking at her sides, Oliver couldn't help but slowly move closer to her, Moira's hand slipping from his arm, her smile bright and happy.

"Hey, Speedy," he spoke softly, smiling at her, starting to reach out to her, thinking to hug her, but she surprised him.

With a punch to the jaw.


	15. Chapter 15

Oliver tuned out the shocked voices of his mother and Walter, focusing only on Thea, seeing, and scenting, her agitation and anger.

"Speedy..." He started but Thea snarled, quite loudly for someone of her size, and her eyes blazed with emotion.

"Don't," she growled, hands clenching at her sides. "Call me that."

He slowly nodded. "Okay." He watched her nostrils flare, clearly annoyed over his calm demeanour. "I...I'm sure you have questions.

She growled again. "Not really."

Oliver couldn't help but let out a soft sound of doubt.

"It's...It's been six years. How can you not have any questions?"

Thea shook her head and scoffed.

"Because I already know all the answers, _Ollie_ ," she practically sneered that old nickname and Oliver felt a pang of guilt and regret. "How could he still be alive? Where has he been all this time? Why didn't he ever come home? Why didn't he ever just call to tell us he was alive?" Thea growled again. "And the answer, to every damn one of them, is that because it's you. Oliver Queen. The playboy who doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself."

"Thea," Moira's tone was reproachful but it did little to stop Thea.

"You were always so wrapped up in yourself, not giving a damn who you hurt, and it's no different now." Thea gave him a disgusted look. "You bailed on school, got on that stupid boat, and then you died. And then you had the gall to come back from the dead."

Oliver felt like he'd been stabbed. He'd known Thea would likely be angry when, and if, he ever returned. But he hadn't been prepared to face that anger.

"Thea," he had to force himself to use her name and not call her by that familiar, childhood nickname. "I know you're angry. And you have every right to be. But...But every day I was gone...there wasn't one day that went by when I didn't think of you. When I...When I didn't hope you would grow up to be...to be so much more than I ever could be."

Thea huffed.

"And what are you, exactly?"

Oliver opened his mouth to respond but he had no words. How did he answer that? How did he tell his sister that he was an assassin? That he was nothing more than a killer? Even freed from his oath, from the League, it didn't change who he was.

Thea took his lack of an answer as answer enough because she growled again.

"You..." She shook her head. "You stole everything from us, do you see that? Everything we were. Everything we might have been. You stole it all."

Oliver watched as Thea spun and stormed off in a fury that was like a living, breathing creature. He closed his eyes even as he heard Moira step closer. Her touch, once comforting, barely registered.

"Just give her some time, sweetheart," Moira said softly, trying to be gentle, trying to be soothing. "This...This is a lot. For all of us."

Oliver slowly nodded, staring off in the direction Thea had gone, before slowly turning to face his mother, seeing the worry in her face. He reached up and gently brushed her hair back, tucking the curls behind her ear with a soft smile.

"She's right," he said with a slight shrug. "I ruined everything."

"Oliver...sweetheart...no."

Without a word Oliver turned and walked away. He heard his mother call after him as the front door closed behind him but he kept walking.

He had become quite good at running away.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Half a world away Ra's al Ghul, one of the most powerful men in the world, sat in the chambers he had shared, for years, with his mate, more shaken than he had been in decades.

He had felt his mate nearly die.

It had felt as though his soul had been torn apart when he felt his mate, his _habib_ , slipping further and further from life. From him.

He did not yet know how Oliver had survived, Nyssa had yet to make contact, but, truthfully, all he cared about was that his mate was alive. Was safe. He had tried to reach his mate through their bond but it was blocked, once again, but he took that as a good sign. It took great concentration to maintain the mental barrier over the bond and that meant Oliver, though likely stressed, was not suffering from his near death.

Drawing a deep breath he slowly moved, picking up a framed photograph from the bedside table, rubbing his thumb over the bright, smiling face of his mate.

The photograph had been taken in Milan, at a little cafe, after a mission to handle a corrupt politician with a taste for little boys. Oliver had insisted they needed some time to themselves. Time where they weren't members of the League. Time where they were just a mated pair enjoying the beauty of Milan. It was, easily, one of Ra's favourite memories concerning his mate. He was still staring down at Oliver's smiling face when a soft knock echoed from the door.

"Enter," he called out, slowly returning the photograph to the table as the door opened, one of his men stepping into the room, bowing respectfully.

"Forgive me, Master," the man said, voice roughened by the mask he wore. "I know you asked not to be disturbed but there is news concerning _Habib_."

Ra's was on his feet in the span of a heartbeat. "My daughter has returned?"

The man, called Al Thi'b, The Wolf, shook his head. "She has made contact, however. She says that _Habib_ is safe and with his family. That she..." Al Thi'b hesitated for barely a moment before giving voice to whatever Nyssa had told him. "She released him from his oath."

"What?"

Ra's spoke in a cold, hard tone and it gave testament to Al Thi'b's loyalty that he did not flinch.

"Al Sa-him has been released from his oath, Master."

Ra's said nothing for a moment, merely let Al Thi'b's words sink in, before he drew a deep breath and gave his man, one of the most loyal in years, a slow nod. "You will contact my daughter and relay my order that she return to Nanda Parbat," the Alpha rumbled.

Al Thi'b nodded. "And of the other, Master?"

Ra's knew his man meant Oliver's release and he gave a slight shake of his head.

"Until I speak with my daughter the release shall stand. My mate is to be left in peace."

Al Thi'b bowed again. "As you command, Master."

Ra's watched Al Thi'b slip from the room, quiet as a shadow, before turning and looking, once more, at the photograph of his mate.

Everything in him, his every instinct, screamed that he needed to go to his mate. To return Oliver to Nanda Parbat. But he knew that would not be met well. His previous attempts to have Oliver returned had failed. Force, he had learned, was not going to bring his mate home to him. It had, after all, pushed his mate to the brink of death. He would not make that mistake again.

Once he had spoken with Nyssa, once he knew more of the situation concerning his mate, he would go himself to Starling City and have words with his mate.

Perhaps then he could convince Oliver to return home.


	16. Chapter 16

Nyssa walked into Nanda Parbat with her head held high, refusing to show any of the worry that was coursing though her very being. She knew Al Thi'b would have told her father of her actions in Starling City and, as such, she knew she faced punishment at her father's hands. She had released a member of the League. And not just any member. She had released her father's mate. There were those in the League who would accept her actions, would see it as merciful, but she knew there were others, many others, who would see it as a betrayal of her father.

As she made her way through her home she couldn't help but think of Oliver.

She knew she had done the right thing.

For him.

He was not a trained falcon to be caged after each hunt.

He needed his freedom, true freedom, or else he would become a shell, a ghost, of himself.

She would never allow that to happen.

Not to him.

She had finally seen what he had been trying to show her. When he had been so willing to end his own life she had seen it.

Now she had to explain it to her father.

She had to convince him of it.

She slowly, silently, prowled into her father's private training room, not surprised to find him engaged in hand-to-hand combat training with several of his closest guard. It was fluid. Swift and, if it were not merely training, it would have been lethal. She watched, silent, until her father called a halt to the match. As always he offered correction to his men, who all accepted his words as though they were still new initiates. When her father's gaze finally swung to her she felt a small trickle of fear crawl down her spine.

"Leave us," Ra's ordered and his men bowed before taking their leave. Only Al Thi'b spared her a glance. She did not take her eyes off her father.

"Al Thi'b has told me of your actions," Ra's said as he slowly approached her. "But, I find, I would hear it from your own mouth."

Nyssa nodded.

She had known this was how it would be.

"I did as you instructed," she said, voice steady and calm. Oliver had often teased her that she spoke like an ice queen. Even in the face of her father. "I went to Starling City to fetch Al Sa-him home."

"And yet you return without him."

She didn't flinch, though it was a near thing, instead she drew a deep breath and nodded.

"I attempted to reason with him, reminded him of his oath, of his Bond, and yet..."

She paused, remembering the pain in Oliver's eyes, the haunted look when he'd spoken of barely being able to feel his soul. That any more killing would destroy him.

Ra's' eyebrow arched. "And yet?"

Nyssa drew another deep breath, squaring her shoulders, meeting her father's gaze head on.

"And yet I could not do as you asked of me."

"Why?"

"Because..." She clenched her fists at her sides. "Because my _akhi_ deserves more than a life of death and bloodshed."

"You would deny me my mate?"

There was no anger, no emotion of any sort, in her father's voice but Nyssa knew better than to believe that meant Ra's felt nothing. If ever a more stoic man had been born or created she had never seen nor heard of them.

"No." She immediately shook her head. "No, Father, never."

"Yet you released him."

"I released him from the League," she corrected, chin tipping upwards slightly, pride and love driving her. "Nothing, save death, will ever take him from you. He loves you, Father, I will never allow anything, not even my own actions, cast doubt on that."

Ra's regarded her for a moment, stepping closer, putting himself within a few feet of her.

"And yet you feel it best to release him from his oath and allow him to remain half a world away from me?"

"If you love something is it not best to let it go?"

"That choice was not yours to make."

"Perhaps not," she agreed. "But I made a choice that I felt to be in Oliver's best interest. I put him before everything else. As your daughter I had thought you might take pride that I love your Omega enough to free him from what causing his pain."

Ra's stared at her, silently, for so long she began to truly fear that she was about to be condemned for her actions but then he stepped closer, reaching up to cup her cheek, giving her a soft, barely there, smile.

"You have your mother's strength," he said softly, rubbing his thumb softly over the skin of her cheek before stepping back, hands folding behind his back. "And a heart far greater than most." His smile widened a fraction. "Tell me, is he safe and well?"

Nyssa nodded and smiled. "He is with his mother. And I trust Sara to watch over him."

Ra's noted the look in his daughter's eye at the mention of this Sara. He saw something, not love, but admiration and attraction.

"Sara?"

Again Nyssa nodded, her smile not waning for a moment, but growing sweeter.

"Sara Lance. Ta-er al-Sahfer," she spoke softly. "The Canary. A guardian of Starling City. And beloved friend to Oliver. She will ensure he is well looked after."

Ra's was surprised at the emotion he heard in his daughter's voice.

She spoke of this Sara as he had often overheard Oliver speak of him.

"You are certain of this," he asked, watching her face, seeing some of the mask she wore slipping. Her eyes sparkled in a way he had never seen before. Not in her at least. "That this Sara Lance will watch over him?"

Nyssa nodded.

"She was willing to stand again me, against the League, in defence of him. She loves him."

Ra's twitched slightly. "Does she?"

Nyssa shook her head, still smiling. "She loves him as I do, Father. As a brother."

Ra's let out a soft sound, giving his daughter a searching look for a moment.

"What do you know of her? Besides her...affection...for my mate?"

"Only what little Oliver shared some time ago. That he believed her to be dead."

"You did not think to investigate her further upon learning who she was?"

Nyssa tilted her chin a little higher, appearing almost defiant, but her voice was still sweet and soft when she spoke.

"I trusted Oliver's judgement of her."

Ra's did not make a sound, though it was a near thing, before he drew a shallow breath. He had much to think of before he went after Oliver but first there was the matter of Nyssa's actions. Actions he could not let go unpunished. Not even for his daughter. 

"While I understand your actions were done out of love you shall not go unpunished," he said as he turned away from her. "You'll rise with the sun and stand upon the wall until I instruct otherwise."

Nyssa bowed her head. The wall, a narrow, dangerous ledge of rock on the uppermost level of the fortress, was a kinder punishment than she had been expecting. But she knew her father would likely leave her standing there for days. He had done so in her youth when she displeased him and she had little doubt that he would do so now.

"As you command, Father."

Without another word she turned and left.

Ra's drew another deep breath, trying to find his center of calm, but with his mate still half a world away it was difficult. After a moment he turned his head and called out a name.

"Sayad."

Like a shadow a man, tall and lean, emerged from the darkness, kneeling almost immediately, head bowed in a sign of respect. Sayad was one of Ra's' personal guard. One of a handful of men trusted above all others. Never, not once in his near two decades of service to the League, had Sayad's loyalty wavered. When Ra's had introduced Oliver as his mate, declaring him to be Habib al Ghul, Sayad had been the first to kneel, to swear his loyalty and devotion to the Omega.

"Master," Sayad's voice was soft and calm, as it always was, and as Ra's turned to him his head slowly lifted, that bright blue gaze fixing on the leader of the League immediately.

"I have a mission for you," Ra's said, hands folding neatly behind his back, but with a nod of his head Sayad rose. "You will go to Starling City and learn all you can about a woman. Sara Lance."

"Is she an enemy, Master?"

Ra's shook his head. "She is a vigilante. The Canary. And she claims to be a friend to Al Sa-him. I would know more of her."

Sayad nodded. "And Al Sa-him? Do you wish for me to finish Nyssa's mission?"

Again Ra's moved his head in a silent negative.

"For the time being my mate is to be left in peace. I will fetch him myself when he is ready to return."

Sayad bowed his head in deference to his master's command.

"Shall I watch over him instead, Master? From the whispers I have heard Al Sa-him may need a silent guardian."

Ra's considered that for barely a moment before he nodded.

"Do so in secret, if you can. I do not wish my mate to feel that I doubt his ability to take care of himself."

Sayad bowed. "Yes, Master."

Ra's watched his man leave, silent as he had arrived, before he turned, drawing a deep breath as he reached across the Bond he shared with Oliver, feeling his Omega's emotions, mixed as they were, and, reflexively, he pushed warmth and comfort to the younger man. He would rather have been able to hold Oliver, to draw him close and give him comfort in person, but this would have to suffice until he was able to go to his mate. After months of being denied by the younger man he was surprised when, in response to his comfort, he received a gentle nudge, a soft pulse of _I'm fine_ before the Bond fell still and quiet once more.


	17. Chapter 17

Oliver wandered Starling almost absently before slowly making his way back to the Queen Estate. But even once there he didn't feel the sense of peace he had been hoping to find. He slowly, silently, walked through the house, feeling as lost as he had when he'd left earlier. This place had been his home. His sanctuary. And not it left him feeling hollow. Like something was missing.

When he unexpectedly felt Ra's brush against his mind, their Bond glowing warm with his mate's comfort, he responded quietly, pushing the feeling of being fine, of being safe to the Alpha. _I'm fine_ he whispered through the Bond, knowing his mate had received the words when the feeling of comfort washed over him again. It was rare, even between those who had been mated for years, to be able to send actual words or thoughts through their Bond but Oliver found it had come naturally between him and Ra's.

They couldn't send overly complicated thoughts or words, they'd never communicate like Bonded pairs in novels or movies did, but it was enough that at times it was easier to let Ra's know what he was feeling or thinking.

He drew a deep breath when he felt Ra's brush against his mind once more. Words, simple but meaningful, passing through the Bond.

_Love you._

He couldn't help but smile, pushing his own love through the Bond, wanting Ra's to know that, though he had not returned to the Alpha, his feelings towards the older man had not changed. They never would.

When his focus shifted back to the world around him he was surprised to find he had made his way through the house and was now standing in the backyard, looking down at the headstones standing as silent tribute to him and his father.

Like before he felt guilt as he stared at his father's headstone.

He didn't know what to do or say now.

He was free of his oath to the League but he was still lost.

Oliver Queen had died, six years ago, on the shores of Lian Yu.

Al Sa-him had been born, five years ago, in the heart of Nanda Parbat.

And now neither Oliver Queen nor Al Sa-him existed.

He no longer knew who he was.

And that, more than anything, terrified him.

"Oliver?"

He spun, quickly, hands reflexively curling into fists, body tense and ready for a fight despite recognizing the sound of his mother's voice.

Moira was standing in her pyjamas, a housecoat wrapped tightly around her, her gaze full of concern.

"Mom..." He drew a shallow breath and glanced away from her for a moment. "You shouldn't be out here. It's cold."

Moira huffed and shook her head. "Oliver," she reached out and lightly touched his arm. "Sweetheart, you...are you okay?"

Oliver blinked.

She was asking him that?

After everything she'd gone through in the last twenty-four hours?

"Mom..."

"You looked so...lost...standing here, sweetheart." Moira reached up, cupping Oliver's cheek, her expression that of a mother who loved her son but didn't want to push him to open up. "Like you were a million miles away. After...After everything that's happened...whatever you've been through...Oliver...are...are you okay?"

Oliver stared at her for the longest time, quiet, seeing all the good in her. All the love and warmth he remembered from his youth and part of him, the part that hated what he had been forced to become, didn't know how to process that. But the other part, the boy in him who had been ripped away from his life, his family, and forced to survive, yearned for that love and warmth. He let out low, almost broken sound, before he reached out and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. An embrace she easily, happily, returned.

"Oh, sweetheart," her hand ran over his hair as she spoke, voice soft and gentle. "It's okay. Whatever...Whatever it is will be okay. You're home now. Everything's going to be alright. I promise."

His eyes burned with tears and he hurriedly blinked them away, hugging Moira tighter, turning his head to rub his cheek along her hair, breathing in the scent that was uniquely his mother's. He wanted to believe her words. He wanted to hope that she was right. But his world have been shaken up and he wasn't quite certain that, being so far from his mate, from their home, that it would ever settle properly again.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

A week later and Oliver still felt lost.

He had tried to settle back into his old life, had tried to find some part of him that could be the Oliver his family remembered, but he just couldn't fit back into that mould.

The only upside to the situation was that his mother, and Walter, had respected his wishes and kept his return secret, both agreeing to wait until he was ready to tell the world the that he was still alive. They both were under the impression that he just needed some time to readjust to being back but, in those quiet moments when he was honest with himself, he didn't know if that would ever happen.

He couldn't shake his hard earned instincts, his training, and had reactions to little things that wouldn't have bothered a regular person. At dinner one night one of the servants dropped a plate and the clatter caused him to react by jerking to his feet, steak knife in hand, ready to face down an attacker before his mind caught up to his body and he realized what he'd done. His mother and Walter had stared at him, shocked, and he'd muttered some sort of apology or excuse before darting from the room.

So, unable to break his habits, he did his best to manage them. Which included going for a run twice a day.

One afternoon he returned to the house, thankful to find his mother and Walter were gone, something to do with Moira's mayoral campaign, and he didn't worry about running into his sister since Thea had been staying at Roy's since the night he'd come back and she'd punched him in the face, so, once inside, he stripped his shirt off, tossing it down a laundry shoot before making his way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

Grabbing a bottle from the fridge he rolled his shoulders, stretching out his muscles, before uncapping the bottle. He had just chugged half of it, slowly turning, thinking to make a sandwich or something when a low sound caused him to nearly drop the bottle as he spun around, growling faintly, body tense in response to what could very easily be a threat.

He went completely still, a predator's stillness, when he saw Thea standing in the doorway, eyes wide, gaze fixed, quite firmly, on his bare torso.

"Oliver...what..."

She sounded shocked and horrified and it took him a moment to figure out why.

He was shirtless and his scars, of which there were many, were on full display.

"Thea..." He had no idea what to say to her, how to explain his scars, how to simply brush them off. His time in the League hadn't taught him that. It had taught him that his scars were not marks against him but rather signs of his survival. Badges of honour in a sense.

Thea slowly stepped towards him and let out a low sound. An Alpha sound.

"You...What..." She blinked and her gaze slid to his face and the shock was written clear as day in her eyes. "How did...How did that...all of that..."

Oliver drew a slow, deep breath, setting his bottle of water on the counter, before he gestured slightly to different scars, listing the cause of each.

"Arrow." His right shoulder. "Swords." His left side and collarbone. "Bullets." His lower right torso. "Burns." He waved his hand toward his lower back.

Thea let out another of those low, Alpha sounds. "How...How did..." She swallowed thickly. "How did you...survive...I mean..."

"Had some help, here and there," he said with a slight grin, thinking only briefly of the friends he had lost on Lian Yu. And the ones in Nanda Parbat.

"Is that how you got that," she asked, gesturing to the Bond mark on his neck.

Oliver's hand instinctively rose, rubbing at the mark, and he couldn't help his soft chuckle.

"That...That was..." His grin became more of a small smile. "That was actually one of the good things that happened."

Thea's nose wrinkled. "You're Bonded."

It wasn't a question but he nodded regardless.

She let out a soft huff of breath, gaze flittering from scar to scar, before it darted back to the Bond mark and, lastly, his face.

"Is...Is your bondmate that woman who took Mom?"

Oliver blinked. "How do you know it was a..."

"I overheard Mom telling Walter," she said quickly. "And don't try and...and change the subject. Is she? Is that woman..."

"No." Oliver quickly shook his head, reaching out to grip Thea's shoulder, trying to reassure her. "No, Nyssa...she..." He smiled a tiny bit again. "She's my _okht_."

Thea's nose wrinkled. " _Okht_?"

Her pronunciation, flawed as it was, made him chuckle and he nodded.

"It means sister," he explained softly. "And...And that's what Nyssa is to me. A sister. Someone...Someone I love just as I love you."

Thea didn't look completely convinced, her nose wrinkling again, gaze narrowing slightly.

"You...She..."

"Nyssa found me, Thea," he said before she could give voice to whatever thought was spinning around in her head. "When I...I was alone and...and...starving. She saved my life."

Thea shook her head. "Then...Then why did she kidnap Mom?"

"That's...That's a long story and I..." Oliver sighed. "I think we should sit down for it."

Thea seemed surprised that he was willing to tell her but he had seen, many times over the years, how secrets could easily destroy people and those they loved. He knew there were things he wasn't ready to tell her and things he couldn't tell her but he could at least give her some answers concerning his life in the last six years. She was his sister, after all, it was the least she deserved from him.


	18. Chapter 18

They ended up in Thea's room because Oliver's, to the Omega at least, felt like some sort of tomb, some sort of tribute to his memory, untouched from six years ago, and he didn't want to admit just how hard so much as setting foot in that room was. So he sat on the edge of his sister's bed, watching as she sat opposite him on the window seat, her eyes flickering from his face to his scars and back again. Drawing a deep breath he tried to figure out where to begin, how to start explaining, when Thea solved that problem for him.

"What...What happened," she asked, voice soft but the need to know lacing her words. "The night the _Gambit_...went...went down?"

He drew another deep breath and clenched his hands tightly against his knees as flashes of that night raced through his mind.

"I...I'm not sure how the boat...what happened to it," he admitted, hating that he still, after six years, couldn't answer that question. Even for himself. "But...But I was sucked under the water and...and when I popped up Dad...he was in a life raft with one of the crew and they pulled me in."

Thea's nose wrinkled in that way he was beginning to associate with her confusion. "And...What about..."

"Sara?" He guessed, knowing that had to be what his sister was trying to ask and she nodded in response. "She was sucked under too." He remembered the fear, the anxious twisting in his gut, as he'd searched the darkness for her, bobbing helplessly in the life raft. "And I...I guess she must have surfaced far enough away that I...I couldn't see her or...or hear her." He forced his hands to relax. "We...We drifted for days. Until...Until there wasn't enough food or water for three people."

He paused remembering the way his father had looked at him. Remembering how, at the time, he hadn't understood that look. A look that said Robert was going to ensure his child, his pup, survived.

"Dad...he knew we couldn't all survive. He...He looked at me...I didn't understand what he meant to do but...but when I saw the gun I..." His heart skipped slightly. "I don't know why but I...I thought he was going to...to shoot me."

Thea inhaled sharply, eyes widening, and Oliver pressed on before she could say anything.

"He...The crew member...God I don't even remember the man's name...Dad...he shot him." He saw Thea flinch but before she could say anything he hurriedly pressed on. "When...When Dad looked at me...after...I saw the conviction in his eyes. He told me...He told me I had to survive and then he...he..."

He squeezed his eyes shut even as he heard Thea let out a soft sob. Forcing his eyes to open again he met Thea's tear filled gaze.

"I drifted for days, alone, starving and then...then I washed up on the shores of an island." His hands clenched and relaxed against his knees. "Lian Yu." He couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice. "It means..."

"Purgatory."

Oliver blinked, somewhat surprised at his sister's knowledge, but she merely shrugged.

"Sara," Thea said simply. "She...That's where they found her. She doesn't talk about it much but...she mentioned what the name meant one time."

Oliver nodded. He understood Sara's reluctance to talk about Lian Yu. The island had been well named. Purgatory. It was all that and more. He had been, months earlier, been surprised to hear Sara had been found there and, he knew, there was more to the story than what the news reports had claimed. Especially since, in the final months he'd been stranded on that godforsaken lump of rock, she hadn't been there.

"We met up there, actually, but...but not until I'd already been there a year." He reached up and rubbed at the scar on his shoulder. His first gift from Yao-Fei. "I got this the first morning there. A man...Yao-Fei...he thought I was a threat. Put an arrow through my shoulder before taking me in...helping me. Risking his life more than once for me."

Thea leaned forward slightly. "What..." She cleared her throat. "What happened to him?"

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment. The memory of Yao-Fei's final moments playing through his mind like a bad movie.

"He...He sacrificed himself to...to save his daughter." Oliver slowly opened his eyes. "We buried him next...next to Dad in a quiet little clearing."

"We?"

Oliver nodded. "Me..." He drew a shaky breath. "Me, Shado and Slade."

His voice hitched over their names. Names that he had carved on his heart, years ago, names he still carried. Names of people he had loved. People he still loved.

"Shado," he continued. "She was Yao-Fei's daughter. She was abducted by men who...who wanted to use Yao-Fei as a scapegoat for their own twisted means. Slade...he was..." He didn't know how to describe Slade. How to keep the man's memory from being more painful than it always had been. "He kept me alive. Taught me survive."

Thea let out a soft sound. "Why do I have a bad feeling that this...this doesn't have a good ending?"

Oliver sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "Because it doesn't."

He looked at her again and then away.

"We were together on the island for...for months...nearly a year...when we crossed paths with Sara." He tried not to let his pain surface. "She...She'd been rescued by a freighter controlled by a man who...who was conducting human experiments."

Thea inhaled sharply and he saw, from the corner of his eye, her twitch in response to his words.

"The man," he pressed on. "Ivo, was his name, came looking for some old Japanese military project that he thought was hidden on the island. He and...and his men...they tore our worlds apart. Shado and Slade...they died and Sara and I...we were separated. I assumed she had been killed too."

Thea moved slightly, leaning forward a little more, gaze fixed on her brother's face.

"You said Nyssa found you. She found you on Lian Yu, didn't she?"

Oliver nodded. "She came because of rumours of Ivo's search. She came to ensure that, should such a serum exist, that it didn't fall into his hands because...because it would have put hundreds of thousands at risk." He easily recalled that day, standing on the beach, facing Nyssa down with nothing but his bow. "She took me in. Gave me a new home."

Thea's nose wrinkled again.

"But...You _had_ a home. Why...Why didn't you just come home?!"

Thea's voice rose sharply and Oliver gave her a soft, gentle look.

"Because I was tainted," he admitted softly. "I...I did things...horrible things...in order to survive and I...I didn't know how to be the old Oliver anymore. And I...I didn't want that darkness around you or Mom or...or anyone. So when Nyssa offered me a place I...I took it."

"A place where?"

Oliver's lips turned up in a small smile. "There's a place, ancient, probably as old as the desert, where for over a thousand years men and women have gone to...to learn to be weapons of justice. Nyssa was raised there. The League exists to maintain order and balance in the world."

"The League?"

Oliver nodded. "They took me in," he said, smiling slightly as he thought of the men and women who had become his family. "Helped...Helped me learn how to be more than just a survivor."

"They made you a killer."

Oliver' head snapped up. "What? Why would you..."

"I'm not stupid, Ollie," Thea replied and he felt a small thrill at her use of that old nickname. "I may not have been home a whole lot lately but I've seen the way you act, sometimes, the way you look when you enter a room. I told one of my bouncers, guy named Diggle, about it and showed him a video on my phone. He said it was like how soldiers who came home from war acted. Like you didn't know how to leave the war behind." She shrugged slightly. "I...I put two and two together. You've killed. And this...this League taught you how."

Oliver sighed and shook his head, rubbing a hand over his face.

"The League...it taught me a lot, Thea, but...but it didn't teach me to kill." He saw the surprise on her face. "Slade did that. He...He made me a killer when I _needed_ to be one."

Thea's nose wrinkled again. "But you...you said he taught you to survive."

Oliver's gaze hardened, going cold, for just the briefest of moments but he knew Thea had seen it because her eyes widened slightly.

"On Lian Yu," he said, voice soft, but cold. "Killing meant surviving."

"Ollie..."

"I won't deny that I've killed...because...because I have." He drew a slow, deep breath. "On Lian Yu and...and for the League...but I...I left the League because I just...I couldn't keep killing. My soul...couldn't take it anymore."

Thea regarded him silently for a moment before she moved, getting up from her seat and climbing onto the bed next to him, wrapping her arms around him. "I don't care," she whispered. "I don't care what you've done. You're still my brother."

Oliver looped his arm around Thea, resting his head against her shoulder.

They sat in silence for a little while before Thea spoke again.

"You said...You said that Nyssa wasn't your bondmate. So...So who is?"

Oliver smiled slightly, an image of Ra's flashing through his mind, and he drew a deep breath, slowly lifting his head to look at his sister's face.

"He's...A key figure in the League. We Bonded about a year after I joined."

"Is that normal? In the League I mean."

Oliver shook his head. "Not for...Not for men of his position. But we...things just clicked, I think. And after I nearly died saving him we just...didn't see any sense in denying that we were more than master and student."

Thea gave him this unreadable look and, for a moment, she looked so much like their mother that it made his heart skip a beat.

"You really love this guy, don't you?"

Oliver couldn't help the way his smile grew or the warmth that spread through his chest.

"Yeah," he said softly, giving a nod of his head. "Yeah, I...I do."

Thea smiled and quickly hugged him again. An embrace he more than happily returned.


	19. Chapter 19

Oliver discovered that, slipping to and from the Queen Estate, was far easier than he had anticipated. Even with his training he had thought his mother's security staff would be better trained. Most of them were former military. It shouldn't have been so easy to avoid them while they made their rounds. Either they were the worst security guards on the planet or guarding the Queen family, not seeing true action, had dulled their training.

Not that Oliver was complaining.

Ease of access made it better for him.

Especially when he began helping Sara with her work as the Canary.

Part of him was excited to help her.

To be part of something again.

But his instincts, hard earned and engrained deeply, made it difficult for him to merely take criminals down. Leave them for the police.

He may no longer be a member of the League but the training didn't switch off simply because he was now playing vigilante instead of assassin. He nearly killed a man while questioning him for information on the man in the skull mask, the one trying to replicate the Mirakuru serum that he and Sara had destroyed on Lian Yu. Sara, both concerned and angry, had told him to go home. To get his head on straight before he came back. He knew she was right to worry. But he couldn't help who he was. Who he had become.

Returning to the Queen Estate, silent and quick as a shadow, he tried to shake his dark thoughts and feelings.

His family didn't need to see or know that part of him.

Not now.

Not ever.

Making his way slowly through the house he suddenly paused when he scented something on the air. Something familiar. Something he hadn't scented in years. Frowning, nose wrinkling, knowing that what he scented wasn't possible he followed his nose through the hallways until he neared the den. The scent was stronger here. Heavier. And his heart began to hammer against his ribs. It wasn't possible. Couldn't be. The scent was likely just similar enough that it was playing tricks on his mind.

He didn't realize he had stepped into the door of the den until his mother was suddenly looking up at him, clearly surprised.

"Sweetheart," she said, smiling as she stood, he saw the confusion in her eyes. For weeks he'd been hiding, refusing to let her tell the world that he was alive, and now he'd all but walked into a room with a complete stranger. "What..."

"Sorry," he said, gaze darting from her to the man sitting on the other couch, back to him, the scent wafting from the man was confusing and he didn't know what exactly to do. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I..."

"It's alright, sweetheart," Moira was quick to reassure, smiling, looking at the man she had been conversing with. "This is Mr Wilson."

As the man stood and turned to face him Oliver's heart all but hammered against his chest. The impossible was standing in front of him and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. And judging from the look on the man's face he was suffering a similar situation. The man moved, slowly, looking so different in that dark suit, hair still dark but with streaks of silver at his temples and a dark eye patch covering his right eye. But there was no mistaking the gate of a predator. A killer. And while it put a part of Oliver on guard, made him wary, he was still trying to accept that what he was seeing was real even as a memory, something he'd kept buried for years, rushed to the forefront of his mind.

_Ivo's men shoved them from the submarine, leaving Slade's body behind, and Oliver could hear Shado's quiet sobs, couldn't begin to imagine what she was feeling. A month ago she and Slade had Bonded. She had felt him die. And how that had effected her he couldn't begin to guess. All he wanted was to reach out to her. To hold her. But he couldn't._

_He twisted his hands behind him, the ropes biting deeper into his skin, and he quickly looked at Shado even as he was shoved again, stumbling. Tears streamed down her face and when Ivo pushed her he couldn't help but growl. Earning a sharp shove from the Beta forcing him along._

_Shado wasn't his Alpha but he was still protective of her._

_She wasn't his Alpha but she had been planning to be._

_They had talked about it before she'd Bonded with Slade._

_The three of them._

_Together against the world._

_Shado had been going to Bond with him during his next heat. They were going to be family. Slade had even teased Oliver that he expected the younger Omega to give him a little girl with blonde curls and big blue eyes one day._

_Now those dreams were gone._

_Because of Ivo. Because the madman had come seeking something better left alone._

_Oliver grunted as he was unceremoniously shoved to his knees, Shado dropped down next to him, a few feet separating them and he looked at her again, finding her dark eyes fixed on him. She was still sobbing, softly, the broken Bond clearly tearing her apart, but there was something else. Understanding. She knew Ivo, even though he had what he wanted. Wasn't going to let them go._

_"You don't have to do this, Anthony," Sara cried from where she'd been stood in front of Oliver and Shado, her eyes wide with fear, tears dotting her lashes. "Please...You got what you wanted. Please...Please if you...if you ever cared about me please...just let them go."_

_"I do care about you, Sara," Ivo said, still aiming his gun at her. "But I'm not going to chose who lives and who dies tonight." He swung the gun down, aiming first at the back of Shado's head and then at the back of Oliver's. "You are." He smiled vichously and Oliver felt his blood run cold as Sara began sobbing. Begging him not to do this. "I'm going to count to ten," Ivo continued. "And you're going to chose which of your friends dies. Or I_ will _shoot them both."_

_Sara began begging, pleading with Ivo, the man who had rescued her after the Gambit had gone down, not to do this. To spare them. To just take the Mirakuru and go but he was beyond reasoning with._

_Oliver looked at Shado again and she gave him a small, but sad, smile. They both knew how this was going to end. Ivo was never going to let any of them go. He just wanted to torture Sara first. Shado whispered three words that made his heart ache and he whispered them back as Ivo began counting down. He closed his eyes, wishing he could hold Shado's hand, just one last time._

_Just as Ivo got to one Sara let out a frightened cry and Oliver heard her rush forward, his eyes flying open as a body somehow curled around him. Turning his head he found Sara crouching behind him, using herself as a human shield. His heart leapt into his throat as he heard Ivo laugh._

_"Guess you made your choice after all," the man said and Oliver let out a strangled cry as Ivo levelled his gun at Shado's head and squeezed the trigger._

_Time seemed to slow as Oliver watched the Alpha, the only Alpha he had ever seriously considered Bonding with, fall, blood matting her hair and spilling down her face. He felt as though someone had ripped him open as he stared at her. So still and quiet. And then time, the world, came rushing back into focus as a roar ripped through the air. The impossible happening._

_Slade, very much alive, came rushing into the clearing, killing several of Ivo's men but the scientist and his second in command managed to escape._

_In the chaos Oliver managed to move, hands still bound behind his back, crawling to Shado, whining loudly, body instinctively tucking over her. Trying to shield her from the madness around them even though he knew she was gone. When everything was quiet again, only Sara's quiet sobs and Slade's panted breathing filling the clearing Oliver slowly lifted his head, feeling something drip from his brow, he blinked, unable to tell what it was, looking up at Slade._

_The older Omega spun around, gaze searching the clearing and, when his dark gaze landed on Oliver, on Shado, he let out a broken sound._

_"Shado," Slade whispered her name, rushing over, dropping to his knees and pulling Shado into his arms, cradling her, rubbing his cheek along her hair, not caring about the blood, her blood, now smeared across his face. He lifted his head when Oliver whined, those dark eyes full of unimaginable pain._

_"Kid..." Still cradling Shado with one arm he reached out with the other, grabbing Oliver strongly by shoulder, almost too strongly, yanking him close, holding him. "What happened?"_

_Before Oliver could answer, before he could even find the right words, Sara was speaking._

_"Ivo...he just...he just shot her," Sara sobbed, tears still dotting her lashes. "He didn't say why."_

_It was a lie. Oliver knew it. Knew Sara said it too save herself. But he couldn't seem to find his voice. Slade growled, holding him tighter, tight enough he knew he would have bruises but he didn't care. Slade was there. He was alive. And they could avenge Shado together._

Oliver blinked and the memory faded to the back of his mind but, standing there, looking at Slade, he could still hear Sara, voice honeysweet and innocent, almost childlike, whimpering that damn lie. A lie that had ripped his world apart.

"What..." Oliver swallowed passed the sudden lump in his throat. He didn't get anything else out because Slade was suddenly moving, extending his hand as though they were strangers.

"It is a pleasure, Mr Queen," Slade said, voice deep and smoky like Oliver remembered, shaking Oliver's hand, stepping slightly closer. "Though, I must admit, you look quite well for a dead man."

Moira chuckled lightly, clearly taking Slade's words as a friendly joke, but Oliver couldn't help the way he tensed, even as Slade slowly released his hand.

"Oliver isn't quite ready to make his return public yet," Moira explained with a soft smile. "So we... _I_...would appreciate it if..."

"The media won't hear of this from me, Moira," Slade was quick to reassure her. Smiling a charming smile that felt, to Oliver, wrong on the older Omega's face. It didn't fit with the man he remembered. "I understand wanting to spend all the time you can with those you love." The man's dark gaze swung back to Oliver, surprising him by reaching out and lightly touching his hand. The slightest brush of fingers over the back of his hand. But it sent a shiver down his spine. "Because the time we have with them can be cut short in an instant."

Oliver's heart skipped.

He couldn't tell if Slade was talking about him or Shado or both of them.

Slade gave him an almost curious look. "What's the matter, Mr Queen? You look a little piqued."

Oliver forced a shaky smile. "I...I'm fine." He took a small step to the side, trying to put a bit more distance between him and Slade without it being too obvious. "Just...Wasn't exactly planning on anyone knowing I'm back quite so...so soon."

Slade nodded, as though understanding. "It must be difficult for you," the older Omega said even as one of the servants wheeled a cart into the room. "Being gone so long, I mean. Things must be so different for you."

Oliver felt a smile spread across his face. The same smile he wore when new recruits were brought before Ra's. It was cold. It was, he knew, a defence mechanism. Trying to deflect from the nerve Slade's words had struck. Before he could say or do anything Moira was thanking the servant.

"Oliver," she said as the other woman left the room, stepping over to the cart. "Mr Wilson was kind enough to bring a bottle of authentic Australian rum. Would you join us for a drink?"

Oliver turned, eyes dropping to the bottle on the cart, the label, black and white, was one he recognized.

Reuther Rum.

The same brand he and Slade had shared on Lian Yu.

The same brand he had a bottle of stashed in the room he shared with Ra's in Nanda Parbat.

Drawing a shallow breath he nodded, knowing it would look strange if he refused. "Of course," he said, accepting a glass from his mother. Moira smiled brightly, lifting her own glass, looking at Slade.

"What shall we drink to," she asked and Oliver took the moment to raise his glass, sniffing at the dark liquid, scenting it for poison. He hadn't ever known poison to be one of Slade's methods of killing but he wouldn't put it passed the man.

Slade smiled, his keen gaze having picked up on Oliver's action even though Moira hadn't, and he raised his glass a little in salute.

"To friendship," the older Omega said, still smiling, and Moira chuckled with a nod.

Oliver tensed again when his mother raised her glass, sipping at the rum, but when Slade took a drink he relaxed. If it were poisoned surely the man wouldn't have drank.

Though he raised his own glass, touching the glass to his lips, some of the rum wetting them, he didn't actually drink. He needed to keep his mind clear and focused. Because just because Slade seemed to be here peacefully didn't mean that was the case. He knew better. He knew there was a bigger reason for Slade's sudden arrival to Starling City.

And he suspected part of that reason was Sara.

Meaning his friend, and their city, was likely in grave danger.


	20. Chapter 20

Oliver sat in the den, tense, unable to relax or even pretend to relax, as his mother and Slade made small talk. When the conversation suddenly turned to family, Moira inquiring about if Slade had anyone special in his life Oliver tensed further, his gaze darting from Slade to his mother and back to Slade.

"There was someone," Slade said softly, gaze sliding easily, calmly, from Moira to Oliver. "Sadly she passed away a few years ago. The only other person I've felt the same for...well...things there are...complicated, I believe is the appropriate phrase."

Oliver's hands clenched and unclenched where they rested on his knees.

"I'm so sorry," Moira said, lightly touching Slade's arm. Slade gave her a charming smile before he slowly stood, crossing the room, examining some of the art hanging from the walls.

"I've heard, Moira, you're family has quite the affinity for the fine arts," he mused, glancing over his shoulder at Moira, who smiled brightly.

"My late husband amassed quite the collection of 19th Century landscapes," Moira confirmed and Slade turned to face her.

"I would love to see them sometime," he said and Oliver couldn't believe when his mother offered to show them to him now. Before he could say or do anything she was standing, leaving the room to have the servants open up the rest of the house. The moment she was gone Oliver surged to his feet, spinning around to face the older Omega, who was watching him.

"What," Oliver growled faintly, not wanting to risk them being overheard, closing the distance between. "Do you thi..."

Before he could finish speaking Slade moved, catching hold of him and slotting their mouths together.

The older Omega kissed him fiercely, deeply, passionately.

Memories of their time together on the island, before Shado's death, rushed through his mind.

And for a moment Oliver kissed back.

But then he felt Ra's brush against his mind, their Bond flaring bright as a fire, and reality came crashing back in and he tore himself away from Slade, staggering back a step, gaze narrowing as he panting, staring at the older Omega fiercely.

"Don't," he hissed. "Do that again."

"Kid," Slade rumbled faintly and Oliver growled in response. Both to Slade's tone and the use of a nickname that he hadn't heard in years.

"What are you doing here, Slade?"

Before Slade could respond Oliver heard a door open and then Thea's voice calling out.

"Mom? Ollie?"

Slade's smile widened slightly. "I'm meeting your family, kid."

Oliver swore his blood ran cold. If Slade attempted to harm his family he didn't care if it killed him he would stop the man. Before he could say anything Thea was walking into the room and Slade charmed her just as easily as he had charmed Moira and, before Oliver knew it, before he could try and pull his sister aside to warn her about Slade, their mother was returning, asking Thea if she would give the tour for Slade. Thea, of course, agreed. Anything to keep their mother happy. And Oliver, fearful for his family, trailed along.

Discretely he tugged his burner phone from his pocket, dialled Sara's number and left it, the line open, in his pocket. Silently hoping Sara would hear Slade, recognize his voice, and send in the cavalry. Whatever that might be. He didn't have any other options.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Starling City was, Sayad found, loud and noisy and a pit that festered with crime and injustice.

It was little wonder that Al Sa-her had wanted to burn it to the ground.

Sayad wondered why Al Sa-him had chosen to remain in the city.

What the young Omega saw in this cursed place Sayad did not know.

He was shadowing the woman, Sara Lance, as his master had commanded, learning about the woman who called herself Canary and fought crime and corruption in a city poisoned by both.

Canary.

Ta-er al-Sahfer.

In another life she might have been a member of the League.

But in this one she was not but a vigilante, scrambling for control of a city that was broken and fallen. His master had once claimed such people to be lost. People like Sara could be destroyed with the proper application of pressure. And Sayad had found where to best apply that pressure should it ever become necessary. Her family. Her friends.

And all he learned he would pass on to his master.

Along with the knowledge that, while Sara Lance was no threat to his master or the League but, he quickly determined the woman could easily be a threat to Al Sa-him.

She drew his master's mate into her lost little world and put him in danger. 

Sayad was less than pleased to see his master's mate, beloved by many of the League, himself included, placed in harms way simply because the woman batted her eyelashes and Al Sa-him felt some sort of duty to her and her cause. But he had sworn to keep his presence in Starling City hidden unless absolutely necessary and, as such, he could not stop Al Sa-him from continuing his foolish assistance of Sara Lance.

He trailed the woman to yet another meeting with her sister, Laurel, a lawyer, and had just settled into a booth across the coffee shop, content to keep watch, when his phone beeped.

"Sir," he greeted, knowing only his master would call him. "My check in is not for several hours."

"You are still shadowing the Lance woman."

Not a question but he answered it as such.

"As you ordered."

Ra's let out a low sound. "You will leave her and check on my mate."

Sayad frowned but stood, was moving even as questions began rushing through his mind. Had something happened? Had Ra's sensed something was wrong with Al Sa-him?

"I will find him," Sayad said as he left the coffee shop via the side door. "He told the Lance woman he was returning to his home. I will check there first."

"Quickly, Sayad. And you will inform me the moment he is safe."

The call quickly disconnected and, reaching the spot where he had parked his motorcycle, Sayad tugged his helmet on before starting the bike, the engine revving loudly. Peeling out of the parking lot he raced towards the Queen Estate.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Sara had just returned to the foundry after her lunch with Laurel, finding Diggle and Roy there, Roy going through the training exercises she and Oliver had worked up for him and couldn't help but smile when Diggle said something about getting some Big Belly Burger. She was still smiling when her phone rang. Checking it she was surprised to see Oliver's name flashing across the screen. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms that morning so she was surprised that he would be calling.

"Hey, Ollie, what's up?"

When he didn't answer she frowned, noticing how Diggle was suddenly looking at her.

"Ollie? Hello?"

She could hear some murmured voices and shook her head with a chuckle.

"I think the master assassin just butt dialled me," she laughed, which had Roy grinning, as she put the phone on speaker, hearing Thea's voice, explaining something about a painting. But then a voice, deeper, smokier, than Oliver's and a cold chill ran down her spine. As the voice spoke again, the person talking about the artist, Sara's fingers clenched tightly around the phone. She saw Diggle's concerned look just as Felicity came walking into the room, her gaze going from Diggle to Sara.

"What's going on," Felicity asked, hearing the strange voice from Sara's phone.

"Oh God no," Sara breathed and Roy stepped towards her.

"Who is that," the Beta asked, frowning, worry clouding his voice, brows drawn down in confusion and concern.

Sara looked at her friends, still unable to believe this was actually happening.

"His name is Slade Wilson," she whispered, hearing Slade speak again, her blood running cold as fear, true fear, crawled through her. "And if we don't stop him he's going to kill Oliver and his entire family."


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So someone on Tumblr asked me about Sayad and which actor I would use to portray him so I figured I'd share that here as well.  
> [Sayad](http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/WIRED+Cafe+Comic+Con+Day+3+UeXOzhugkCTl.jpg)

Sara prowled through the shadows outside the Queen house, fury and worry burning through her in equal measures.

She'd thought Slade Wilson to be dead.

So hearing his voice, even over the phone, had thrown her off kilter but she had to stay focused. Slade was likely here to exact the vengeance he'd been unable to take on Lian Yu all those years ago. Oliver needed her. His family needed her. Leaping over a low hedge she tapped her communicator to speak to Diggle, set up on a hill overlooking the front of the house with a high power sniper rifle, and Roy, who was going to be walking through the front door under the guise of simply picking Thea up for their evening out.

"Remember," she growled over the open channel. "Slade Wilson is dangerous. No chances. No mistakes. You get a shot, Digg, you take it."

"Copy that," Diggle replied calmly, a soldier's calmness.

"I've got four thermal signatures in the northwest corridor," Felicity said and, even over the comm Sara could hear her friend's fingers flying over the keys of her computer.

Sara used the wall to vault upwards, catching a bar used for hanging flowerpots to swing up to the balcony outside Oliver's room. Using her momentum she flipped over the railing and ducked down into the shadows, not wanting to risk anyone in the house noticing movement or a shadow, speaking into the comm as she made her way towards the windows that would be easiest to open.

"Roy, remember, just get Moira and Thea away from Slade," she said firmly, not wanting to risk the Beta starting a fight with a man who killed as easily as others breathed. "Don't start a fight. You'll lose. Okay?"

"Okay," Roy sounded pissed but like he was trying hard to control himself and Sara knew that was all she could ask for at the moment.

Trusting Roy to do what he was supposed to do she moved quickly, drawing a knife from her belt as she reached the windows, only to find one open. A frown spread across her face in confusion. She hadn't thought Oliver would be lax enough to risk leaving a window open like that. Tucking her knife away she slipped through the window, crossing the room quickly, almost silently, hoping Roy was in position. She had just started to open the door when she was grabbed from behind.

Before she could fight, before she could scream, something sharp pricked her arm and, within seconds, the world went hazy, darkness creeping her. She felt, like in a dream, being lowered to the floor and heard a voice in her ear.

"Apologies, Miss Lance, but this is for the best."

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

By the time the tour ended Oliver was antsy and ready to just get Slade the hell away from his family. He didn't care if the man was playing the charming Omega. He knew better. Slade chuckled as he thanked Moira and Thea for the tour and Oliver, watching the older Omega like a hawk, was strongly fighting the part of him that wanted to force Slade away from his family. Wanted to deal with the obvious threat to people he loved. But he held his ground, even when Slade shot him a quick, discreet, smirk.

He had just started to open his mouth, intending to suggest he walk Slade to his car, when, unexpectedly, Roy's voice came from the front entryway.

"Thea? You home?"

Surprise flashed over Thea's face as Roy stepped around the corner and she turned away from Slade, briefly glancing worriedly at Oliver, but he shrugged, trying to tell her without words that it was okay, before she greeted her boyfriend.

"Roy," she smiled as she hugged him. "I thought we were meeting at Verdant."

Roy let out a low sound. "Sorry, I forgot," he said with a small grin, glancing at Oliver and giving a slight nod.

Oliver let out a soft breath.

Sara had gotten his call and realized what was happening. While he wasn't certain Roy was the best choice, given how riled up he could get what with the Mirakuru pumping through him, he was just glad to have the back up. Thea introduced Roy to Oliver first, though it was hesitant, before introducing him to Slade. As the older Omega shook the Beta's hand Oliver saw the surprise as it briefly danced across Slade's at the strength in Roy's grip.

"That's a particularly firm handshake you have, son," Slade mused and Roy's gaze narrowed slightly.

"Yeah," the Beta replied coolly. "You too."

Oliver let out a low sound and started to step forward but froze when a voice sounded from the top of the stairs.

"Oliver."

His head snapped around and he watched, shocked, as Sayad came walking, calmly, confidently, down the stairs. He saw the surprise and confusion on the others' faces but shook off his own surprise to step forward slightly.

"Douglas," Oliver spoke calmly though he suspected Sayad could sense his unease.

Oliver saw the way Slade watched Sayad, tracking his movement closely, like the trained killer he was. But Sayad barely spared Slade a glance as he wrapped an arm around Oliver's shoulders, hugging him, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Your friend's associate, Mr Diggle, is waiting outside with a rifle."

Oliver nodded, wondering how exactly Sayad knew about Sara or Diggle, as he returned the hug before Sayad turned, standing beside Oliver, surprising the Omega by slinging an arm around his shoulders.

When Moira let out a low sound, looking at Oliver, the question clear as day on her face and he drew a deep breath, seeing the way Slade looked at Sayad. Cold and calculating.

"Uh, Mom, this is...this is Douglas." Oliver glanced at Sayad, finding the Alpha was watching Slade, gaze all but daring the man to do something. "He's a friend."

He saw the way Thea began eyeing Sayad, he could practically see the gears in her mind turning, weighing the odds of Sayad being the Alpha he was Bonded to. But he quickly looked at Slade, not liking the somewhat murderous glint he saw in the older Omega's eye, and he took a small step forward.

"So," Oliver said with a charming, but fake, smile. "What would you like to do now, Mr Wilson?"

Slade casually glanced from Oliver and Sayad to Roy and back again. No doubt realizing that, even with his heightened abilities, he was somewhat outnumbered and a fight would reveal things to Moira and Thea best left unknown. At least for the time being. He smiled at Oliver.

"Well, I hate to break up the party but I think I should be going."

"I'll walk you to your car," Oliver was quick to say and he shot Sayad a look, silently telling the older man to stay where he was, and though the man frowned, clearly not liking it but obeying none the less. As the front door closed behind them Oliver couldn't help but rumbled faintly as he shot Slade a cold look.

"The man in the skull mask, the serum he's using," Oliver spoke calmly, shaking his head slightly. "It's all been you, hasn't it?"

"A man has to have his allies, kid." Slade smirked a tiny bit. "Just as you have yours." He glanced at Oliver. "John Diggle for example. You're probably wondering why he hasn't taken his shot as your friend suggested he would."

Oliver stiffened and couldn't suppress his growl as they stopped walking beside the flashy Lamborghini that was Slade's.

"If you've done anything..."

"Don't worry, kid," Slade was quick to cut in. "He's still alive. For now."

Oliver growled again. "Slade." The older Omega turned to face him and he saw the slight sliver of surprise in that dark gaze. No doubt at the fierceness of his tone. "What do you want?"

Slade reached up, hand cupping Oliver's cheek far more gently than the younger Omega had expected.

"I want a lot of things, kid," the older Omega said softly, thumb sweeping lightly over Oliver's cheek. And then he was moving, climbing into his car, the window rolling down as he looked out at Oliver. "I made a promise to someone five years ago. I mean to keep that promise." The engine revved to life. "I'll see you around, kid."

Oliver hurriedly stepped back before the car pulled away.

Growling faintly he turned and prowled back into the house. His mother had gone off to who knew where but Thea was still standing by the stairs with Roy and Sayad. She did not look happy.

"Thea..."

She held her hand up before nodding towards the stairs, giving Roy and Sayad a sharp glare, one saying they'd better be following as well. Oliver sighed and nodded, following her, the other two men close behind. He was somewhat surprised when Thea led the way into his room and nearly bumped into her when she suddenly came to a stop.

"Sara?"

Sara groaned as she slowly sat up on the bed, head held in her hands, Thea and Roy rushing to her while Oliver turned and shot Sayad a look even as the man closed the door behind them so they were not overheard.

"Sara," Roy caught her arm, steadying her, even as Thea reached out and brushed Sara's hair back. "Are you okay?"

Sara groaned and lifted her head a bit. "Feels like someone hit me over the head with a mallet."

Oliver shot Sayad another look but the Alpha merely shrugged.

"I did apologize," Sayad said which earned a scowl from Oliver and a sharp glare from the other three people in the room.

"Sayad..." Oliver hissed but Thea snarled fiercely.

"What the hell did you do to my friend and who the hell are you?!" Thea moved from the bed, stepping towards Sayad, who looked rather unimpressed with her. "And what the hell was that down stairs?!"

Sayad's gaze swung from Thea to Oliver and he smirked, just a tiny bit. "Your sister shares your fierceness, Al Sa-him."

Oliver sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face. "Not helping, Sayad."

"Why do you keep calling him that," Roy queried, frowning, even as he helped Sara stand. "I thought you said his name was Douglas."

Sayad's smirk grew a tiny bit.

"It was." The Alpha said as he regarded the young Beta. "But Douglas Elliot died many years ago. I am, as Al Sa-him called me, Sayad. The Hunter."

Sara growled faintly. "You're a member of the League."

Sayad nodded but Oliver spoke.

"He's a member of Ra's' personal guard," the Omega said as he looked at Sayad. "And we'll talk about why you're here later. Right now..."

"Right now I want to know what the hell is going on," Thea interjected hotly, glancing at her boyfriend and Sara. "You two hardly seem surprised that my dead brother isn't exactly dead, then this guy," she nodded as Sayad. "Pops up out of nowhere, acting all chummy. And Oliver's been acting funny all evening." She turned her gaze back to Oliver. "I'm not an idiot. I know something's going on and I want to know what."

Oliver sighed again and shoved a hand through the short stubble of his hair. "Thea..."

"No." Thea shook her head, arms crossing over her chest, gaze narrowing. "No bullshit. No excuses. I'm not a little kid anymore, Ollie. I can handle more than you or," she glared at Sara and Roy. "They, think I can." She looked at Oliver again. "So, instead of playing a game where I end up pissed beyond belief at you, how about we just keep being honest with one another and you tell me what is going on."

Sayad's smirk morphed into a smile as he looked at Oliver. "I must admit, Al Sa-him, I rather like your sister."

Oliver rolled his eyes even as Roy growled faintly, glaring daggers at Sayad.

"Alright," he said as he looked at his sister once more. "Alright, you're right." He ignored the way Sara looked at him. "The only way I'm going to keep you safe is if you know what's going on."

"Oliver," Sara started but Oliver shot her a cold look.

"You know what Slade is capable of!" Oliver snarled, gaze narrowing sharply. "You know the lengths he can, and will, go to. If you think, for one second, that I will not do everything I can to protect my family than you don't know me as well as you think you do."

Sara said nothing in response to that but her gaze said enough.

She thought this was a bad idea.

That Thea knowing was just as dangerous as keeping her in the dark.

She muttered something about checking on Diggle before leaving the room.

Oliver waited until she was gone before he began explaining about Slade, about who the man really was, though he left out as much of Sara's involvement with creating the monster he'd become as he could. Thea's eyes widened when he said it was the same Slade he'd known, and loved, on Lian Yu and, when he explained Slade had sworn vengeance against those who'd wronged him his sister suddenly began pacing, ignoring Roy when the man tried to calm her down.

"You're...You're saying this nut is going to kill you." Thea looked at him. "So...So why didn't you kill him tonight? I mean...I...I know you can...you told me yourself he...he made you a killer. So why..."

"You remember I told you about Ivo? How he came searching for something on Lian Yu?"

Thea nodded and Oliver sighed.

"We found it." He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "A Japanese military project meant to create supersoldiers. A serum. Called Mirakuru. And Slade...he was hurt...badly...Shado and I...we...we injected him with it in an effort to save him. It...changed him."

"How?" Thea looked confused and Roy, to answer her question, picked up a twenty pound weight from the floor where Oliver had left it days earlier and, without any true effort, snapped it in half.

Thea squeaked loudly and jumped nearly a foot in the air. "Oh. My. God."

The sentiment was shared by Sayad who cursed in three different languages, looking wide eyed with Oliver.

"That's how it changed him," Roy said, dropping the broken pieces to the floor.

"He's recreated the serum," Oliver said as he looked from Sayad to his sister. "But that's not his end game."

"Then what is," Sayad asked, frowning.

"I don't know," Oliver admitted. "But I know it will have to do with Sara and I."

"Why Sara?" Roy shook his head, frowning in confusion. "I mean...she was on Lian Yu but...but what does that have to do with you and Slade?"

"Because," Oliver said softly, hating that he had to be the one to tell a secret Sara would have wanted kept hidden. "Because Sara killed Slade's mate."


	22. Chapter 22

While Al Sa-him went to check on Sara and Diggle, promising more answers when he was certain both were safe, Sayad remained with Thea and Roy. The pair was huddled together by the window, murmuring quietly with one another, and Sayad saw the small tremors in the boy's hands. He did not know what it meant but he suspected it was the serum, the Mirakuru, pulsing through the boy's veins. He could prove to be just as much of a threat as Slade Wilson.

His watch beeped and he knew he had missed the designated time to call his master but he dared not risk it.

Not with Al Sa-him's sister and her friend in the same room.

Pressing the button to silence the beeping he was surprised when Thea suddenly spoke.

"Are you my brother's mate?"

Sayad blinked, genuinely surprised by the question, but his surprise quickly morphed into amusement and he smirked as he looked at Thea, head tilting to one side almost like a curious bird, his smirk growing slightly.

"Do you believe me to be your brother's mate?" He couldn't help the way his amusement bled out into his voice.

Thea shrugged.

"He said he was mated to a key figure in the League. And you're...Ollie said you were part of someone's personal guard. Seems pretty key to me."

Sayad chuckled softly before shaking his head.

"While I would have been deeply honoured to be Al Sa-him's Bonded I am afraid the honour was not mine."

Thea's nose wrinkled. "Then who..."

"I believe, Miss Queen," Sayad was quick to interject. "That you should speak to your brother about his Bonded."

Her nose wrinkled further but it was Roy who spoke.

"Why do you call Oliver that? Al...Whatever the hell it is."

Sayad regarded the young Beta for a moment. Seeing nothing but a curious young man. It reminded him of Malak.

"It is his name," Sayad explained. "When you are no longer an initiate, when you become a member of the League, you forsake the life you had before. Friends. Family. Even the name you once bore. And you take a new name. A new name to reflect the new life you have chosen to take." He reached up, lightly touching the amulet he wore. An ancient spearhead he had found in the desert. "Al Sa-him was one of the few to be gifted his name by our master, Ra's al Ghul. It is a great honour."

Roy frowned but Thea appeared somewhat curious.

"What does it mean," she asked and Sayad's smile widened a fraction.

"The Arrow."

Thea shook her head, shoving her hand through her hair, looking at Sayad again.

"So...So he took a new name and...and had to give up what? Everything that made him who he was? His past? His life? _His family_? How does...How does even seem remotely normal to you?"

Sayad chuckled softly, ignoring the sharp look Roy shot him, settling slowly into a chair, still watching the duo.

"I wondered the same when I first became an initiate, many years ago." He folded his hands in his lap. "It is...not easily explained. One must live through the training, the acceptance of our master, our brothers and sisters, to fully understand the process and the reason behind it."

Thea huffed. "You said earlier that Douglas Elliot died years ago. Was that who you were? Douglas Elliot?"

Sayad's smile dipped slightly.

"Yes."

"That's it? That's all I get?" Thea huffed again, gaze narrowing, her tone sharp and brittle. " _Yes_? The hell kind of answer is that?"

"The kind given by a man who suffered a loss so painful he spent three years living at the bottom of bottle before crawling out and fighting for a place, a life, in a world most people believe to be a myth."

Sayad quickly stood, heading for the door, murmuring softly as he moved. "I am going to check on Al Sa-him and Miss Lance."

Without another word he slipped out the door.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Oliver found Sara and Diggle on the little hill that overlooked the front of the house. Sara was helping Diggle, who was rubbing a hand over the back of his neck, sitting up, his rifle sitting unfired in the grass.

"What happened," he asked, concerned, and Diggle huffed out a small breath.

"No idea," the man said as he shook his head, wincing at the obvious pain that caused. "One minute I was looking at Wilson through the scope and then...nothing until I came too."

Oliver frowned and scented the air but couldn't pick up on anything other than Sara and Diggle. "We already know Slade has no problem involving flunkies in his game," he said as he looked at Sara. "The question now is how do we stop him?"

Sara's nostrils flared and he saw the fire burning in her eyes.

"We finish what we started five years ago," she said firmly, fiercely, hands clenching tightly at her sides.

"You mean what you started," Oliver fired back. "That didn't exactly work out so well."

Sara's gaze narrowed. "What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"It means if you had finished the job the first time Al Sa-him would not now be faced with this ghost."

Oliver's head snapped to the side and he watched Sayad prowl towards them, silent as a shadow, cold blue gaze fixed on Sara.

"Mind your own business," Sara growled and Sayad's gaze narrowed further.

"This, Ta-er al-Sahfer, became my business the moment Slade Wilson chose to target my master's mate."

Sara opened her mouth, about to fire back, when Diggle suddenly spoke.

"Master's mate? What the hell is this guy talking about? And, just to clarify, who the hell is this guy?"

"He's..." Oliver started but Sayad was quick to cut in, his voice sharper, colder, than usual.

"I am Sayad. Ra's al Ghul sent me."

Diggle blinked, glancing at Oliver. "The leader of the League knows about Slade?"

Oliver shook his head but it was Sayad who spoke.

"Not yet."

Oliver's gaze narrowed as he looked at his fellow assassin. "Sayad..."

"I will not hide this from him, Al Sa-him." Sayad shook his head. "Part of my being in Starling City is to protect you, should I deem it necessary. And this? This is very necessary."

"Sayad..."

"Wait." Sara spoke up and Oliver sighed. Why did he even bother trying to talk? "You said part of the reason. What the hell was the other part?" Her expression said it all. If Sayad said he'd been in Starling to kill someone shit was going to hit the fan.

Sayad gave her a dark look.

"I was here because of you."

Sara blinked.

Clearly surprised.

"Me?"

Sayad nodded. "The Heir of the Demon made mention of you. My master wished to know more."

Sara looked surprised and curious but before she could speak Oliver beat her to it.

"None of this matters," he growled faintly, shaking his head. "We need to figure out what to do about Slade."

Sara huffed. "I already told you..."

"Killing him didn't exactly work the last time, Sara." Oliver ignored the sharp look she gave him.

"It's different now." She crossed her arms over her chest. "We're different now."

Oliver sighed and shook his head. "Sara..."

"Ta-er al-Sahfer may be correct, Al Sa-him," Sayad said, giving Oliver a slightly gentle look. "Slade Wilson does not seem to be a man easily dissuaded."

Oliver sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Let's just...Let's just get Thea and Roy and talk about this. Okay?"

Sara's face said it all.

No matter what he said, no matter what he tried to do, she had already made up her mind about what should be done.

Kill Slade Wilson once and for all.


	23. Chapter 23

Oliver sat in his room long after the others had left.

There hadn't exactly been much discussion concerning Slade or what they were going to do about him and his presence in Starling City. Despite his attempt to convince her that there had to be another option, something other than killing Slade, Sara had made her position clear. And, though not surprisingly, Thea, Roy and Diggle had sided with her. They all saw Slade as a threat. A monster crawled from the dark to destroy their worlds. But he didn't see it that way.

The world wasn't so black and white.

It never had been.

And it never would be.

"You have made very interesting friends, Al Sa-him," Sayad said as he strolled back into the room, having gone to check that the house was secure for the night. "Your Sara most of all. Her mind is that of one who would do well in the League."

Oliver couldn't help but snort as he turned to watch Sayad close the door.

"In another universe maybe she would have been the assassin and I would have been the vigilante."

Sayad chuckled as he settled next to Oliver.

"As interesting as such a universe might have been I am glad it did not come to pass," the Alpha bumped his shoulder against Oliver's. "I would not trade the brother I have in you for the sister Sara Lance might have been."

Oliver chuckled softly before his expression turned serious once more.

"Do you agree with her? About killing Slade?"

Sayad regarded him for a moment, clearly weighing his words, carefully choosing them, as he always did.

"I agree with her assessment that the man is a threat. To you. To the innocents of this city." Sayad shook his head. "But death must be a punishment dealt only when truly earned." He looked Oliver in the eye. "Has this man done such, Al Sa-him?"

"You're asking me?"

"You know him," Sayad shrugged. "Or you did. Once. You had, from my understanding, a good judge of the man. You claim he does not deserve to die. I would know what he has done to earn such mercy from you."

Oliver sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face.

He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering how, despite being stuck on Lian Yu, he, Slade and Shado had been happy. United against the world. He'd never thought, after losing them, that he would find that sort of feeling with anyone.

"I loved him," he admitted softly. "A long time ago. After...After I lost him I...I didn't want to remember the monster the Mirakuru turned him into."

"So he was not always as he is now."

It wasn't a question but Oliver nodded as he opened his eyes again.

"He was a good man. A little rough around the edges but he was a good man. He...He kept me alive...taught me to survive...when I was nothing but a spoiled brat lost among the wolves."

Sayad smirked, slightly, finding it hard to match the way Oliver spoke of himself with the man he knew. Even when the Omega had first come to Nanda Parbat he was hardly the playboy he had heard whispers of during his time in Starling City. It seemed this Slade Wilson had done well to strip away the boy to harden the man beneath.

"You said, earlier," Sayad said. "That Sara killed Slade's mate. That it was the trigger to Slade's vengeance. Tell me, Al Sa-him, how did this happen?"

"Sayad..."

"To understand one's enemies you must know all you can about them," Sayad said, repeating words Ra's said to each and every new initiate who came to the League. "I can only help if I know the history you share with this man."

Oliver heart stuttered slightly. "I told you and Thea and Roy..."

"You told a watered down version, a prettier version, of what truly happened," Sayad shook his head. "You wanted to spare your sister all the horrible details of your past with Slade Wilson. But I am not your sister, Al Sa-him, I am your brother. Your sword brother. We have shed blood and slain men together." The Alpha reached up, running his hand over the short strands of Oliver's hair. "Now tell me everything."

Oliver regarded the Alpha for a moment before drawing a deep breath and doing as Sayad had asked.

He told his friend, his brother, everything.

From the beginning, how he met Slade, how the man had gone from nearly killing him to teaching him to fight, how Shado had become part of their lives, how the three of them had planned to be a family, to all Bond, to share their lives even after they got off the island. How their dreams, his dreams, had been shattered. How Sara's choice, her decision to save him, had ended with Shado being killed. How a lie told to protect had warped Slade's rage to the point of stripping him of his sanity. How things had finally come to a head on the freighter. Slade abducting him. Sara coming to save him. The fight. The explosion that had blown open a hole in the ship. How he had been sucked out into the ocean, washing ashore on Lian Yu, unable to find Sara or Slade and how he'd assumed them to both be dead.

When he finished talking Oliver felt drained.

Physically and emotionally.

He slowly turned his gaze back to Sayad, finding the man watching him with a soft expression.

"He loved you," Sayad said softly, surprising Oliver. "He still loves you. Or, at the very least, some part of him still loves you."

Oliver blinked. "Why do you..."

"It is not difficult to see. If he felt nothing for you but hate he would not have left you alive tonight. No matter that you were surrounded by allies." Sayad shook his head. "He would have slaughtered you and your family and anyone who stood in his way. I do not believe that is his purpose."

Oliver frowned, staring at his friend for a moment, before he let out a low sound.

"He's here for Sara."

Sayad nodded. "He believed you to be dead," he said calmly, though there was a flicker of something, some protective rage, in his eyes. "Lost, like his mate, because of Sara Lance. I can understand why this man would hate her. Would seek to make her suffer."

"It wasn't her fault," Oliver rumbled defensively, reflexively. "It...It wasn't..."

"You do not believe that," Sayad interjected. "It is clear as day on your face. In your eyes. You blame Sara Lance for the death of Slade's mate. Likely almost as much as he does."

Oliver blinked, fighting to control himself, his anger, his pain, and looked away from the Alpha.

"I don't," he whispered but it sounded hollow, even to him, and Sayad sighed softly, before his hand ran over Oliver's shoulder, fingers brushing lightly over his neck.

"In the end, I suppose, your beliefs in this matter very little," the Alpha said. "Slade Wilson has set his sights on vengeance. And on you."

Oliver's head snapped around. "What do you mean?"

"I saw how he was with you, Al Sa-him. He may hate Sara Lance but that hate is equalled by the love he has for you."

Oliver blinked before shaking his head. "No." He shook his head again. "No, you're wrong. Slade doesn't...he hasn't loved me for years."

"You said on the freighter, after his mate's death, he had many chances to kill you. To punish you for your deceit. But he kept you locked in the captain's chambers. Kept you safe from the men of the crew who, given the chance, would have done unspeakable things to you. He did not harm you. Nor did he allow harm to befall you. Even now, on his path for vengeance, he has shown no intention of harming you."

Oliver rumbled faintly and stood, walking away a few steps, before turning and looking down at Sayad.

"Even if that's true," he rumbled. "Even if Slade still feels anything for me it doesn't change anything. He came to Starling to hurt Sara. To make her suffer. To kill her. I can't...I _won't_...let that happen. There...There has to a way to stop him. A way that doesn't end with him dead."

Sayad smiled a tiny bit as he looked up at his master's mate.

Still so loyal to a man whose mind had been broken and warped, both by a drug and by the death of his mate.

That loyalty was one of the many reasons Sayad respected and loved Oliver the way he did.

Drawing a deep breath the Alpha stood before bending the knee, head bowed to Oliver, hand resting over his heart.

"If this is your will then I shall follow and obey," Sayad said, slowly lifting his head, hand still resting over his heart. "You are Habib al Ghul and your word is the law I shall heed."

Oliver's stance shifted then.

The confused young man fading away and, in his place, there was only Al Sa-him, Habib al Ghul.

"This is my word," Oliver rumbled deeply, chin tipping upwards, power and authority blazing in his eyes, his voice, and Sayad could not help but smile. "Slade Wilson will not die by any of the League."

Sayad bowed his head again.

"As you command, my Lord."

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Sayad waited until his master's mate was sleeping before he slipped from the room, out onto the balcony, to make his phone call to his maser in Nanda Parbat. It rang only once and, after a quick confirmation phrase, Ra's voice drifted over the connection.

_"You are late."_

"My apologies, Master" Sayad said, bowing his head even though Ra's could not see him. "A situation arose which required...delicate handling."

_"What situation?"_

Sayad drew a deep breath.

"A man, Slade Wilson, has come to Starling City seeking vengeance against Sara Lance."

There was a minute pause and then Ra's let out a low rumbling sound.

_"What are you not telling me, Sayad?"_

Sayad blew out a slow breath. He knew he would not be able to hide anything from his master.

"Slade Wilson has feelings for Al Sa-him. Feelings that run deep. Love and affection." Sayad glanced over his shoulder at Oliver's sleeping form. "Before I made my presence known I witnessed the man kiss Al Sa-him."

The sound Ra's made was animalistic.

And Sayad would forever deny having heard it.

_"And how did my mate respond?"_

"He pushed Wilson away. Refusing to be drawn into...what they once shared."

He heard his master inhale deeply, calming himself, before the Demon's Head spoke again.

_"Is he a threat to my_ habib?"

"I do not believe him to be, but I fear that Al Sa-him, with his need to protect those he cares for, will place himself in harms way if this situation is not resolved quickly."

Ra's growled, darkly, the sound of an Alpha whose Omega had been threatened.

_"You will monitor this situation, keep my mate safe and, at the slightest sign of danger to Oliver, you will return him to Nanda Parbat."_

"And if he is unwilling to leave?"

Sayad did not wish to force Oliver to do anything but, if he acted under command from his master, perhaps it would lessen the guilt he would feel.

_"Then_ I _will fetch my mate and deal with this Slade Wilson personally,"_ Ra's growled, a cold fury coloring his words, and, without another word, the call disconnected.


	24. Chapter 24

They hunted Slade for weeks.

Finding nothing but shadows and whispers.

Sara reached out to someone she knew, Amanda Waller, head of A.R.G.U.S., for help but all the woman could provide was information about some new mercenary her agency had been tracking. A mercenary A.R.G.U.S. had been calling Deathstroke.

Oliver found that oddly fitting. If a little bit flamboyant.

After another long night of hunting the city for a man more trained at hiding than he was, Oliver eventually circled back to the foundry, thinking to check in with Sara and the others only to find the place empty save for Felicity who was sitting at her computers, chewing on the end of her pen, looking torn.

"Felicity?"

She nearly jumped out of her chair, whirling around to look at him, wide eyed.

"Jeez, Oliver," she slumped back in her chair. "Make some noise or...or something next time. You just took, like, ten years off my life."

"Sorry," he said, grinning slightly. "Still not used to working with the uninitiated I guess."

Felicity huffed before she looked around. "You slipped your assassin shadow, I see."

He chuckled. "I'm actually surprised I managed to," he admitted. "Sayad's usually not so..."

"Sloppy?"

He nodded before his expression turned serious.

"Are you okay? You seemed...upset, when I walked in."

Felicity bit her lip and glanced briefly at the computer screens before back to him.

"It's...It's complicated and...and something I...I don't think I was ever supposed to figure out but...but Mr Steele asked me to look into some financial data from Queen Consolidated and I...oh God, Oliver I..."

"Felicity," he reached out and gently gripped Felicity's shoulder. "Just breathe, okay? Breathe."

She drew several deep breaths and, once he was confident she was calm, he asked her what she was talking about. She chewed her lip for a moment before reaching out, fingers flying over the keyboard, bringing up what looked to be medical records.

"I found that your mother paid a lot of money into an account that was later used to pay off a doctor who...who handled her pregnancy with Thea." Felicity looked up at him. "There were tests I uncovered...DNA tests...that..." She let out a low sound. "That prove that Robert Queen isn't Thea's father."

Oliver blinked, too shocked to say anything for a few minutes. When he finally spoke it was in a quiet voice.

"Did...Did it say who...who was?"

Felicity nodded and in a hushed voice gave him the name. 

"Malcolm Merlyn."

Oliver swore his heart tried to crawl up into his throat.

Al Sa-her.

He swallowed, or tried to, but it was difficult.

"Are...Are you sure?"

Felicity chewed on her lip again before she nodded.

"I...I ran the tests myself," she explained, fingers flying over the keyboard, bringing up more medical files. "We had samples of Merlyn's DNA from...well...the night Sara killed him and...obviously we had Thea's because...well, just because...and...and I ran the tests three times and..."

"Felicity."

She fell silent.

Whether because of his tone or simply because she didn't know what else to say it didn't matter.

She stared up at him, worry clouding her face, and he drew a slow breath.

"My mother...she buried this, didn't she?"

Felicity slowly nodded. "Yes," she whispered and then called his name as he whirled around and stormed off, ignoring her shouts of his name as he left the foundry. 

His mind was strangely blank as he sped through the streets on his motorcycle to the Queen Estate. Even after he parked and stormed into the house his mind was still strangely calm and quiet. He felt the sudden pulse of his mate, Ra's no doubt had sensed the sudden strangeness that had seemingly overtaken him, but he was quick to push the Alpha from his mind. He didn't need Ra's picking up on his emotions or stay thoughts concerning Merlyn. It was actually the last thing he needed. Because he knew the consequences of that.

Prowling through the house he shouted for his mother until, as he neared the den in the east wing, his mother stepped through a doorway.

"Oliver, sweetheart," Moira shook her head, looking both concerned and slightly upset. "What on earth is the matter?"

Oliver coldly brushed by her into the den, glancing around, making certain they were alone before he turned to face her, seeing that, while the concern on her face hadn't waned, the upset had been replaced with confusion.

"Oliver?"

"During your trial the District Attorney brought up an affair you had with Malcolm Merlyn."

Moira appeared momentarily surprised. But she quickly masked it behind a pretty, placating smile.

He suddenly wondered how often she did that.

Even with him. With Thea.

"Your sister told you, I take it?"

Oliver shook his head. "No. No I..." He shook his head again. "It doesn't matter. What matters is..." He cringed slightly when he felt Ra's brush against his mind again. And, for the first time in weeks, he slammed the Bond shut. He couldn't risk his Alpha learning any of this. "What matters is...that right now...you need to listen to me."

"Oliver...what..."

Oliver drew a deep breath.

"For the last...the last year...I have watched you fight...tooth and nail to be...to be free. To be seen as more than a killer. A pawn. To be a leader this city needs." He saw the surprise grow on her face. They hadn't talked much about where he had been the past six years. Hell, looking back on it they had barely talked at all. "And for the last few weeks I...I saw that up close. Saw it and...and wanted so badly for it to be real. Wanted to believe that you...that you weren't this...this monster."

Moira frowned. "Oliver...Oliver it is real. Why on earth would you think..."

Oliver shook his head.

"I needed to believe that...that even after everything I've done...after the darkness I let into my soul...that I still had a mother."

"You do," Moira immediately stepped towards him, reaching out for him, but he shied back, shaking his head and she fell still again. "Oliver...Oliver, sweetheart..."

"No. No, this...all of this," he gestured around him, to the room, the house in general, to his mother and himself. "This is the lie. Just like you telling the world that Robert Queen is Thea's father is a lie."

Moira's eyes went wide. "Oliver..."

"I know," he growled faintly, gaze narrowing sharply. "I know that...that Malcolm Merlyn is Thea's father."

Moira let out a faint, involuntary whimper.

"Oliver," she spoke in a pleading tone. "Oliver, please, I...I only lied about Thea to protect her from Malcolm. You don't know...You don't know what he was capable of. What he..."

"I know more than you think."

Moira's nose wrinkled slightly. The same way Thea's did when she was confused or upset.

"What? Olivrr, what are you..."

"I know after Rebecca's murder Malcolm sought a way to bring justice to the world," Oliver rumbled faintly. "I know he was gone for two years and, in those years, he found himself in a place where one can become a weapon of justice. I know he returned to this city, to Tommy, different. And it wasn't just the loss of his mate that changed him."

"Oliver..." Moira shook her head, blonde curls bouncing around her face. "How...How do you...where did you ever..."

"To the uninitiated he is simply Malcolm Merlyn," Oliver said softly, ice in his voice. "But I know him to be Al Sa-her. The Magician." His hands clenched at his sides. "And if his former master ever learns about Thea...there will not be a force in this world that can keep her safe."

Moira's expression changed then.

Becoming almost fearful.

But the words out of her mouth surprised him most of all.

"You know about Ra's al Ghul." She started to reach out for him again. "Oliver..."

He growled lowly and couldn't stop the way he straightened, the way his chin lifted, almost defiantly, or the words that he said next.

"My name," he rumbled, voice full of the same authority, the same power, he'd used days earlier with Sayad. "Is Al Sa-him." His chin lifted a fraction higher. "And if my...my master ever learns about Thea being Malcolm's daughter...he'll kill her."

Moira's eyes, if possible, widened further.

"But...But she hasn't...she's _innocent_!"

"He will not care." Oliver shook his head. "What Al Sa-her...What Malcolm did...it goes against every code the League holds. A blood debt would be called down on Thea simply because she is his blood." He drew a slow, deep breath. "So no one...not Thea, not Ra's... _no one_ , can know the truth. Because it will get her killed."

"Oliver...Oliver, I can't...I..."

He shook his head.

"You can," he growled. "And you will. Because if there is one thing in this world that you are, Mom, is a liar. That _is_ who you are. Lies." He watched the hurt dance across her face but tramped down his guilt at having caused it. "You say you lied to protect Thea? Well you're going to keep lying to protect her. Because if you don't you'll be killing her."

Moira let out a soft, pained sound.

"Oliver, please...there...there must be something...something you can do. Or say. You...if you truly are a member of...of the League of Assassin then..."

"You don't get it," Oliver suddenly snarled, causing Moira to fall silent. "There is _nothing_ I, or anyone else, can do." His hands clenched tighter at his sides. "If Ra's finds out the truth about Thea she dies. End of story. There is nothing that will prevent that."

Moira whimpered again and reached for him but again he shied back.

"So now that we're both liars," Oliver continued, shaking his head. "There is one more thing."

"And..." Moira drew a shallow breath. "And what is that?"

"That you and I? We're done. As of right now...you and I...we have no relationship. None."

"Oliver..."

"I will...I will keep up appearances for Thea and Walter but...but I don't have a mother any more." He watched the tears spill down Moira's face. "And you no longer have a son."

He turned and stormed out, ignoring her shouts, her pleas, for him to wait, to talk to her. That they could work this out. He forced himself to keep walking, feeling like an impossible weight had settled onto his shoulders and he barely kept from letting out a pained sound as he climbed the stairs to his room. Once there, the door shut and locked behind him, his knees finally buckled and he collapsed to the floor with a whine like a wounded animal. He felt Ra's pushing, beating really, against the Bond but was slow to let the Alpha back in.

He felt the small, soft, tendrils of comfort and concern from his mate and suddenly wished, more than ever, that he had never left Nanda Parbat all those months ago.

His life wouldn't have become this horrific mess if he had just stayed with the man he loved.


	25. Chapter 25

Moira sat for a long time after Oliver stormed out, tears streaming down her face.

She had no idea, not one, about how she was going to fix things between her and Oliver.

He had seemed so cold. So closed off.

Like a complete stranger.

His words, however, kept ringing in her ears.

_"My name is Al Sa-him."_

What had her precious boy been forced to endure in order to survive? What had he been forced to become?

She had played a hand in that. 

By not stopping Malcolm when Oliver had gone with Robert. By not saying something years ago. By not insisting the authorities check every damn island in the North China sea for some sign of her son. She had left her son alone in the world. Left him to fall prey to the likes of the same man who had turned Malcolm Merlyn into a cold blooded killer. 

She had played a role in her son becoming a killer.

And there was no doubt in her mind that her son, her precious boy, was a killer.

Men did not become part of the League of Assassins and keep their hands clean of blood and death.

Drawing a shaky breath she finally wiped her tears away.

Tears would serve her no purpose.

Tears would not fix what she had so carelessly broken.

Tears were not the weapon she needed.

They were not a weapon at all.

Without a thought she fetched her phone from the side table where she had left it when Oliver had first come looking for her. Scrolling through the numbers until she found one that she had kept only in the event that Malcolm Merlyn ever darkened her door again. It rang three times before the call was answered.

_"Mrs Queen,"_ the voice was pitched low and dark and had a chill rolling down her spine. _"We did not expect another call from you. Does this concern Malcolm Merlyn?"_

"No," Moira said firmly, using the same tone she used during her campaign interviews, the one that said she was not to be easily dismissed nor intimidated. "No this is concerning something else."

_"Mrs Queen if it does not concern the location of Malcolm Merlyn then it is of little consequence to..."_

"This will be of consequence to the League and your master," Moira was quick to cut in, growling faintly, almost like an Alpha. "Because it concerns someone you might know."

_"Mrs Queen..."_

"It concerns my son," she snarled, fury and concern warring within her. Was she doing the right thing? Confronting professional killers like this? A thought, an image, of Oliver's face, as she'd seen him one morning when he'd thought himself alone in the kitchen, looking more haunted than a man his age should be, danced through her mind and she growled again. "I believe you, and Ra's al Ghul, know him as _Al Sa-him_."

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Ra's was overseeing the training of new initiates when one of his personal guard approached.

"Master," the man's voice, normally smooth as silk, was roughed by his mask, as he knelt, head bowing. "There is word. From Starling City."

Ra's glanced at the man. 

"From Sayad?" 

Unusual. Since the man always reported directly to him.

His man shook his head.

"From Moira Queen."

Ra's frowned, turning his attention from the initiates and to his man.

"Word of Al Sa-her again?"

Again the man shook his head. "No, sir," he replied, slowly lifting his head, meeting Ra's' gaze. "She spoke of her son. Of Al Sa-him."

Ra's stiffened slightly. Unnoticeable to any but those closest to him. Those who knew him well enough to spot the subtle shift in his stance.

"What did she say of my mate?"

"That she knew he was of the League. And then she had the gaul to make demands."

Ra's' eyebrow ticked upwards.

"What demands?"

"The release of Al Sa-him from his oath. As Al Sa-her was once released."

Ra's frowned.

So Moira Queen knew her son was one of the League but she did not know he had already been released from his oath. It made him wonder how much his mate had told her and how much she had simply picked up on her own. He doubted Oliver would have told her everything. Not with the amount of guilt, fear and doubt he had sensed from his mate in recent days. Today had been the worst of it. His mate had, once more, blocked their Bond. Whatever his mate had been doing or saying he hadn't wanted him to sense any of it. Which spoke, to Ra's, of trouble.

"And what response was Mrs Queen given," he asked calmly, though his mind was already turning over various scenarios, many of which involved the immediate retrieval of his wayward mate.

"She was informed that Al Sa-him's position within the League was, without question, secure until the day he left this life." His man hesitated for a moment. "She was not pleased."

No, Ra's imagined, she had not been.

"What else?"

"She made threats. Ones that were...not empty."

That had Ra's frowning.

What sort of threats could Moira Queen possibly have made?

"What were these threats?"

"A.R.G.U.S."

Ra's growled faintly.

It was enough that his man stiffened, visibly, no doubt expecting to bear the brunt of his master's fury.

But Ra's was disciplined, and old enough, to realize that it was not the place of another to bear his fury. With a deep breath he forced himself to be calm.

"Her threat may not be entirely empty," Ra's said as he gestured for his man to rise. "But we, I, will not be cowed by it." He drew another slow breath. "Fetch my daughter."

The man bowed his head. "Yes, my Lord."

Ra's turned his attention back to the new initiates. Waiting for Nyssa to arrive.

He did not have to wait long.

Since he had called an end to her punishment she had spent much time with her own initiate, Talibah, in one of the upper rooms and, as such, she arrived to the large training room swiftly, head held high as befitting her status as Heir of the Demon, hair billowing around her face in dark waves. For a moment, barely a heartbeat, he allowed himself to envision what a child of his and his mate's blood would look like.

He pictured a tall, fair haired man with deep blue eyes and his Omega's smile.

And then he blinked and forced the thought, the mere idea of it, away.

Now was not the time for such thoughts or dreams.

"Father," Nyssa bowed her head respectfully though her eyes still blazed with a fire that had been burning since her return from Starling.

"I have a mission for you."

She nodded again. "I will carry out your will."

"You are to take a small group of men, no more than three, to Starling City. Rendezvous with Sayad and safeguard Al Sa-him."

Nyssa's lips turned down, ever so slightly, in a frown.

"He is in danger?"

"Sayad does not believe so but if half of the whispers he has heard of one Slade Wilson are true then there is little harm in being cautious. Especially when it comes to my _habib_."

Nyssa nodded.

"As you command, Father."

She turned and walked away, off to choose those who would accompany her to Starling no doubt, and Ra's returned his attention to the initiates.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Nyssa prowled from the training room and, not surprisingly, was joined by her friend, and former student, Talibah.

The woman, a fierce young Omega who demonstrated more loyalty to Nyssa than to Ra's, fell easily into step beside her.

"You have been given a mission," Talibah queried and Nyssa nodded.

"I am to take a select few to Starling City to protect my father's mate."

Talibah hummed softly. "Have you made your decision as to whom you will take?"

Nyssa smiled, slightly, as she glanced at Talibah.

"When have I ever denied your aid on a mission?"

"When you went to retrieve Al Sa-him the first time."

The snark in Talibah's voice made Nyssa's smile widened a tiny bit. "A mistake I will not repeat," the Heir of the Demon said as they rounded a corner.

"Have you given thought to whom else you will choose?"

"Al Thi'b."

Talibah nodded. "Loyal enough. Considerably so when it comes to Al Sa-him. Whom else?"

"Al Sayf."

Talibah gave her a look of surprise.

"You would...is that wise? Considering his history with..."

"He is the only other I would trust with this task." Nyssa glanced at Talibah. "History or not he will do this."

"You cannot be certain of that."

"I can."

"Nyssa..."

Nyssa shook her head. "Find Al Thi'b," she instructed firmly. "We meet at the plane in the hour. I will speak with Al Sayf myself."

Talibah looked like she wanted to argue but she bowed respectfully before hurrying off to find Al Thi'b.

Nyssa watched her go before she drew a deep breath and went in search of Al Sayf.


	26. Chapter 26

Oliver did his best to keep up appearances between Moira and himself for Thea's sake but he knew his sister was picking up on the tension between them. Saw it in the way she kept looking at them, kept watching them, kept dropping not so subtle hints about it. So, to try and keep things from coming to a head, he spent as much time as he could away from the house, away from his family, attempting to help Sara and the others find Slade.

But it still seemed useless.

Even Sayad's contacts, limited though they were in the city, proved ineffective.

But Oliver continued hunting.

He didn't know what else to do.

Even when he felt Ra's brush against his mind, felt his mate's concern, his doubt, through their Bond, he continued searching for Slade, pushing himself to the brink. There wasn't time to waste. He couldn't stop until he found Slade. Until he ensured Sara, and the city, were safe from the man's wrath. Sayad often accompanied him on his patrols but tonight it seemed the man had League business to attend to. Oliver hadn't asked questions. It wasn't his place. Instead he went out to patrol, to hunt, alone.

He and Sara hadn't spoken much since their last argument concerning how to handle Slade.

Prowling through the darkness of the city, having once again slipped away from Sayad's watchful eye, Oliver tried not to let the thoughts of his issues with Sara, and his family, cloud his mind. He needed to be sharp. Needed to be focused. Otherwise he wouldn't be the weapon he'd spent years training to be. He might not want to kill Slade like Sara did but he knew if he had to engage the man doing so without his mind fully in the fight would end with him losing. Possibly dying.

He patrolled for hours but found nothing.

He was about to loop back towards Freemont Street when his cell phone unexpectedly rang.

Frowning he quickly answered the call, thankful he was on a roof where no passing civilian might overhear him.

"Hello?"

"Oliver," Sara's voice came over the line, sounding panicked. "Oliver, he...oh God...Oliver it's Laurel...he...he..."

"Sara? Sara, I can't understand you. What's going on?"

"Slade! He took Laurel! Ollie...Ollie he took Laurel!"

Oliver swore his blood ran cold in his veins.

"Sara..."

"That son of a bitch took my sister!" Sara's panic was suddenly laced with her rage. "He...He sent a video of her...to the news and they...God...she was so scared. We have to find her, Ollie!"

"You need to calm down," Oliver growled firmly, his tone the same he used when commanding members of the League. "Because what you're doing, right now, is not going to help us get Laurel back."

"Us?"

"Yeah, us." Oliver turned and headed in the direction of the foundry. "I'll meet you and the others at the foundry. We're going to find Laurel. We'll bring her home, Sara. I promise."

He heard her soft whimper before the call disconnected and, tucking his phone away, leapt from the rooftop to a fire escape, using his momentum to spring up the ladder to the next roof. He made it all of three steps before his phone rang again. He didn't check the caller ID, only a select few had the number after all, and he kept moving as he answered the call.

"Now is not a good time."

"I can feel you're agitation, _habib_ ," Ra's' voice was smoky, concerned, and Oliver couldn't help the shiver that rolled down his spine. "What is happening?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Oliver..."

"It's noth..."

"Do not tell me it is nothing when I know there is a man in that city stalking you."

Ra's' voice had dropped to a growl and Oliver paused. He knew he had to get to the foundry. Time really was on the essence right now. But he could sense his Alpha's displeasure, his anger, his jealousy. It was like a bitter tang on the back of his tongue.

"Ra's..."

"I do not mean to upset you further, _habib albi_ ," the Alpha rumbled, faintly, the feeling of comfort coming through their Bond, Ra's attempting to sooth him. "But please, please Oliver, do not push me out when all I seek is to ensure you are safe."

Oliver frowned. "What did you do?"

"I do not know what you..."

"Don't try that crap with me," he growled faintly. "I know you better than that. What? Having Sayad here wasn't good enough?"

There was a momentary pause before Ra's sighed softly.

"I am allowed to protect what is mine. Even when I know how capable you are of protecting yourself."

Oliver rubbed his hand over his face. "Who? Who did you send?"

"Nyssa and three she selected herself."

With a low curse, in three different languages, Oliver shook his head. "This...It won't make things any easier, _ya hayati_."

"Perhaps not," Ra's admitted, surprising Oliver slightly. "But I will rest a little easier knowing my daughter and men watch over you."

Oliver couldn't help but smile, or the pulse of love he sent through the Bond.

"Now tell me, _habib_ ," Ra's rumbled softly. "What is happening in your city?"

"It's...It's my friend, Laurel, she's...she's been abducted."

"By Slade Wilson?"

"Yes."

"He seeks to draw you into confrontation," Ra's said and Oliver could almost see his Alpha shaking his head. "It is foolish to pursue. Allow your associate, the vigilante, to find the girl."

"That's part of the problem." Oliver sighed. "Laurel...she's Sara's older sister. I don't think this was meant as a ploy to draw me into a fight."

"He's targeting Ta-er al-Sahfer."

"And I need to help her find her sister before she goes barreling head long into a fight with a man she can't hope to..."

Oliver grunted as something, or someone, suddenly struck him in the back of the skull.

He heard Ra's shout, his phone flying from his grasp, as the rooftop suddenly rushed up to meet him, the world fading in and out, his vision going hazy around the edges. Blinking, fighting to remain conscious, he looked up just in time to see a pair of black tactical boots entire his line of sight before a second blow drove him into the waiting arms of the darkness.

The last clear thing he was aware of was his mate's voice shouting his name.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

At an airfield halfway across the city Sayad was waiting for Nyssa and her team to disembark their plane. He hadn't felt right since letting Al Sa-him slip away from him earlier in the evening but Ra's' command had been firm and he knew that Al Sa-him could handle himself for a short while. As the plane's cargo door lowered a small smile spread across his face.

Nyssa prowled down the ramp the moment it was down, Talibah and Al Thi'b flanking her.

He started to move, to step forward to greet them, but froze when he saw the fourth figure emerge from the shadows of the plane.

Al Sayf.

The Sword.

A chill rolled down his spine.

He swallowed passed the sudden lump in his throat as Nyssa reached him.

" _Warith_ ," he said with a bow of his head.

"Sayad." Nyssa smiled slightly, seeing the way Sayad kept glancing at Al Sayf. "My father has commanded that we protect his mate."

"We are to wage war with Slade Wilson, then?"

The answer to Sayad's question did not come from Nyssa but from Al Sayf, who brushed by them with a coldness on his way to the waiting van.

"If the man is a threat to Al Sa-him then yes."

Sayad glanced at Nyssa, who was glaring slightly at Al Safy, who was loading his gear into the van, before her dark gaze swung back to him.

"Where is Al Sa-him," the Heir of the Demon asked and Sayad opened his mouth to speak but his phone unexpectedly buzzed and he was quick to answer the call.

"My Lord?"

Ra's' snarl, his rage, was heard over the phone by all present.

_"Something has happened to my mate!"_


	27. Chapter 27

Nyssa prowled into the foundry, Sara Lance's so called safe haven, with so much ease that it baffled her that this Slade Wilson character, if he was as dangerous as Sayad led her to believe, hadn't simply walked right in and put a bullet between Sara's eyes.

She was surprised at how distressing she found that thought.

But she did not dwell on it.

Not when Sara's associate, John Diggle, was suddenly there, aiming a gun, a Beretta from the look of it, at her. 

"How the hell did you get in here," Diggle growled, finger twitching against the trigger. "And who the hell are you?"

Nyssa scoffed and tilted her chin upwards a fraction.

"I am Nyssa al Ghul, Heir to the Demon," she rumbled, regarding Diggle as she often did new initiates to the League. Like he was nothing until he proved himself in her eyes. The Alpha growled faintly and understanding flashed through his eyes. So stories had passed from Oliver to his friends. "And your security is severally lacking. With a man like Slade Wilson prowling the city I would have thought Sara would have more sense."

Diggle huffed and slowly lowered his weapon, gaze darting from Nyssa to the assassins flanking behind her.

"Well I'll be sure to pass that message along when we actually find her."

Nyssa frowned.

"Sara is missing?"

Diggle nodded. "For about an hour. Why? What's it to you and your little band of merry murderers?"

One of the assassin's, the only one bold enough not to have his hood up and mask on, the one with the piercing eyes and scar along his jaw, let out a low pitched sound. Almost like a dog or a wolf. It made Diggle stiffen visibly, gaze fixing on what he saw as a threat.

"Al Sa-him is also missing," the assassin spoke coldly and Diggle saw the fire burning in the man's eyes.

"Oliver's what?!"

Diggle groaned at Felicity's frantic shout. "Felicity..."

"Don't take that tone with me!" Felicity all but leapt from her chair, stomping closer, looking from Diggle to the assassin, who was watching her almost curiously. "When the hell did he," she pointed at Sayad. "Stop being Oliver's goddamn shadow long enough for that to happen, huh? Were you too busy murdering people for your boss to keep an eye on the man you were supposedly sent here to protect or something?"

"Felicity," Diggle started but Nyssa cut him off.

"This is not the time to lay blame," the Heir of the Demon all but growled. "We waste precious time bickering like children while our loved ones are likely at the mercy of the man who seeks to do them harm. We need to find Oliver and Sara."

Felicity looked like she wanted to refuse, like the last thing she wanted was to accept Nyssa's help in finding her friends, but she let out a low sound before spinning and heading back towards her computers.

"The last known locations we had for either of them were," Felicity tapped a key, bringing up a map of the city. "Sara at the police station, where she went to meet her father," she tapped a key, setting a little red marker at the station. "And Oliver was here," another red marker appeared. "Just south of Freemont."

Nyssa frowned. "They were nearly across the city from one another. Whatever happened was not likely done by one person." She looked at Al Thi'b. "Go to where we know Oliver was last."

Al Thi'b nodded and disappeared like a ghost.

Nyssa then turned her attention to Talibah. "Go to the police station." She glanced at Sayad. "Take Sayad with you."

Talibah nodded and though Sayad hesitated for a moment he followed Nyssa's second-in-command.

"You seriously think you can find them," Felicity asked, looking at Nyssa and then the only other assassin left in the foundry.

"If not then we will find some trail to follow," Nyssa said but her companion huffed, drawing both Felicity and Diggle's attention.

"I would be more concerned about what shall happen should any harm befall Al Sa-him."

Felicity's nose wrinkled, confusion knitting her brow, but it was Diggle who wisely put two and two together.

"You're saying if anything happens to Oliver then Ra's al Ghul will rain fury down on those responsible like fire and brimstone."

The assassin smiled, a cold and twisted sort of smile, and gave a slow nod. "Starling City, and all who reside here, will be reduced to nothing but a ruin should anything befall the mate of Ra's al Ghul."

Felicity's eyes went wide. "Mate? Mate as in...Bonded sort of mate?"

The assassin huffed again and glanced at Nyssa. "What, by the Pit, does Al Sa-him see in these people?"

"Al Sayf," Nyssa started but Al Sayf shook his head.

"I will join Al Thi'b on his hunt." Al Sayf turned and headed towards the exit. "And gods pity the one who took Al Sa-him should I find them before you do, _Warith_."

Diggle frowned as Al Sayf disappeared into the darkness.

"Why do I have a feeling he's not just going to have a chat with Slade if he finds him?"

Nyssa sighed softly as her dark gaze swung back to the Alpha.

"Because he will not," she admitted. "Al Sayf has..." She shrugged. "He has always had a...a fondness, shall we say, for Oliver. Even after he and my father Bond."

"He's in love with him," Felicity surmised and Nyssa sighed softly but nodded.

"Al Sayf dedicated his life to the League," Nyssa explained. "He...He did so many years ago. And when he did he swore an ancient vow. One rarely used now. 

He swore he would take no mate. Have no children. His life, his loyalty, belonged to the League and the League alone. He is the sword that, not only does my father's bidding, but guards the League. I do not think even he, with all his knowledge, could have foreseen a force such as Oliver coming into his...into our...lives."

Felicity let out a low sound.

"Why do I get the feeling when you say years you're not talking about a decade or two?"

Nyssa looked at Felicity. "Because I am not." She took a small step closer. "Al Sayf has been of the League for centuries. Far longer than even my father."

"That's...How..."

"There are many secrets in the League," Nyssa shook her head. "But what is not secret is how far Al Sayf is willing to go when it comes to Oliver. We must find Oliver, and Sara, and whomever has taken them, before he does."

"You seriously think he'll defy you just because he's carrying a torch for Oliver?" Diggle frowned.

"I know he will." Nyssa felt a chill roll through her then, remembering the last time Al Sayf had been unleashed upon someone who had harmed Oliver. She was not squeamish, far from it, but what Al Sayf had done was the source of many sleepless nights. "We must hurry and find Oliver quickly. The less time Al Sayf has to hunt Slade Wilson the better."

"At this point I say point the psychotic human pitbull at Wilson and drop the leash," Felicity said with a look that clearly said she thought it was a great idea.

Nyssa shook her head. "This is, how did you say, one human pitbull that _cannot_ be reined back in." She turned and head towards the exit. "I will make use of Al Sayf's skills but to let him do as he pleases is unwise."

"Nyssa," Diggle called her name but she kept walking.

"If you wish to be useful," Nyssa called back. "Then try and track Oliver and Sara. You must have resources at your disposal that can help us find them. So use those resources. I will be in contact should we find them before you."

Nyssa left the foundry as easily as she had entered.


	28. Chapter 28

Oliver came back to consciousness slowly.

His head throbbed and when he tried to move he found he couldn't.

His arms were bound, tightly, with what felt like rope and, around his wrists, zip-cuffs.

He heard a soft whimper and then quiet sobs and what sounded like Sara trying to calm someone down. Blinking, shaking his head despite the throb of pain, he tried to manoeuvre himself into a kneeling position but his body just wasn't cooperating. Not completely. His vision thankfully cleared and he saw Sara, tied up, kneeling a few feet away from him. Her expression full of fear.

"Laurel, it's going to be okay," Sara said, looking away from Oliver, looking to his left. "It's okay to be okay."

Oliver, struggling to his knees, looked to his left, finding Laurel kneeling a short distance from him, sobbing, tied up just like him and Sara, her gaze darting from her sister to him and, in that moment, her fear was overshadowed by her shock.

"Ol...Ol...Oliver?"

"Ollie," Sara let out a broken sound even as he heard the footsteps behind him.

"It's funny," Slade's voice rumbled like thunder and Oliver strained to turn, to look over his shoulder, watching the man prowl behind him and Laurel like a caged animal. "I was dead the last time you were offered this choice."

Oliver's heart began to beat faster when Slade drew a pistol from beneath his coat.

"Slade..." He tried to twist around more. "Slade, please...you...you don't have to..."

Oliver grunted as, with a sharp kick to the back, sent him sprawling back to the ground.

"Slade," Sara shook his head, eyes promising violence, vengeance, if anything happened to Laurel.

"I often wondered how you looked," Slade continued, slowly moving back and forth behind Laurel and Oliver. "When he pointed the gun at Shado," he waved his gun to the back of Laurel's head and Sara snarl in rage. "And took her from me."

"Get away from my sister you fucking psychopath!"

Sara struggled against her bonds but couldn't break free. Her eyes blazed with her fear and fury and Slade regarded her like she was something he had scrapped from the bottom of his boot.

"With one choice you took one of my mates from me," Slade rumbled as he slowly, oh so slowly, swung his gun towards Oliver. Laurel's sobs increased and she was begging Sara to help her, to stop whatever was happening. "Leaving the other to a life of death and suffering."

"That's not what happened," Sara screamed at the top of her lungs and Oliver struggled back up into his kneeling position.

"Slade...Slade, please," he tried to reason with the older Omega. "This...You don't need to do this."

"I do." Slade rumbled, shifting his gun from one hand to the other, reaching down to slowly run the knuckles of his now free hand over Oliver's cheek. "She has to pay for what she took."

"Slade..."

"I trusted you," Slade said as he looked at Sara, slowly moving away from Oliver. "Because someone I love told me I could trust you. And, like that bitch dog you are, you turned on me. On the people who were counting on you to make the right decision."

"There was no right decision! It...It was an impossible choice!"

"But you still made it." Slade prowled again towards Laurel, who, though still sobbing, was looking from her sister to Slade and back again in confusion. "You picked Oliver."

"Yes," Sara shouted. "Yes, I picked the person I knew, _my friend_ , over a complete stranger! It was a simple choice! I wasn't losing him a second time!"

Oliver let out a broken sound and shook his head.

He'd always known, deep down, that Sara had chosen him. Had only hesitated to make a show for Ivo. She had chosen his life over Shado's. And in doing so had condemned a wonderful, vibrant woman to death. A woman who, in another life, could have easily been his Alpha.

"You want to blame someone," Sara continued, snarl the words, glaring daggers at Slade. "Then you blame me! You want to kill someone for Shado's death? Then pick me. Kill me!"

Slade rumbled deeply.

"I _am_ killing you, Sara," the Omega said as he aimed his gun at Oliver and then at Laurel, making Sara growl and struggle against her bonds harder. "Only more slowly than you would like." He thumbed back the hammer of his gun and Laurel sobbed loudly as he aimed the gun at the side of her head before swinging it towards Oliver. "Now choose."

"Don't," Sara growled and Oliver turned his head to look up at Slade, not caring that the elder Omega was still aiming a gun at him.

"Choose."

"Slade, please," Oliver tried again to reason with Slade but when Sara snarled, calling Slade a psychopath again, the older Omega growled and pressed the end of the barrel of his gun to Laurel's head, causing Sara to roar and fight harder against her bonds, vowing to kill Slade if he hurt her sister but Slade just kept telling her to choose. Laurel or Oliver. Life and death.

Heart beating faster, just like the night with Shado, Oliver heard Laurel sobbing, crying in fear, and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, reaching out through the Bond, immediately feeling Ra's. His Alpha's love, worry and fear washed over him but all he focused on was the love. A small smile spread across his face as he pushed back with his own love. It felt like Ra's was there, holding him, like that first night when they had Bonded. It gave him the strength to do what he had to do.

"We all know this ends one way," Oliver said as he opened his eyes, slowly managing to get his feet under him, shakily standing even as he could feel his mate's dawning understanding. Then came the fury, the refusal to accept what Oliver was choosing to do, but Oliver just sent back love and warmth and everything good that he could muster.

"Ollie," Sara shook her head but Oliver slowly turned to face Slade. "Ollie, what are you doing?!"

"This only ends one way," Oliver said again, tears filling his eyes even as he practically heard Ra's begging him not to do this. Slade slowly moved his gun away from Laurel, watching Oliver, his expression closed off but in his dark gaze Oliver saw the regret. Slade had never wanted to hurt him but had been pushed too far by his hate and rage.

"Kid," Slade rumbled and Oliver smiled.

"It's okay," Oliver said even as Sara began crying, begging him not to do this, to stop it, even Laurel's sobbing had changed, her gaze fixed on him as she realized he was sacrificing himself to save her. "We both know this only ends one way."

"Oliver," Laurel gasped his name, sobbing harder, fresh tears spilling down her face. "Oliver...stop...stop...please, don't..."

"My friends will live passed tonight," Oliver said as he took a shuffling step forward.

"Kid," Slade held the gun low, not truly aiming it at Oliver. "My promise..."

"You promised we'd be together again," Oliver said, remembering that promise, remembering how Slade had murmured it every time he'd come into the captain's cabin on the _Amazo_. "And...And maybe if things had been different we would have been." He took another step forward, putting himself close enough to Slade to lean forward, resting his head against the older Omega's shoulder, the closest he could get to hugging the man one last time. "But I...I promise...wherever I'm going...I'll wait for you. I'll...I'll find Shado and I'll wait for you."

"Kid..."

"Just promise me," Oliver whispered, feeling Ra's in the back of his mind, his Alpha again begging him to stop. He felt the Alpha's love and he wrapped himself in it even as he slowly blocked the Bond. He knew it wouldn't stop Ra's from feeling him die, not completely, nothing could stop that but it might lessen it. "Promise me that...that when I die you...you'll run. Don't...Don't let the League...or anyone loyal to it...catch you."

Slade's free hand curled around the back of Oliver's head and he felt the elder Omega's lips brush his ear as the man spoke.

"Why? You're not a member anymore. Why would they care?"

Oliver let out a soft sound, closing his eyes again for a moment, hearing Laurel beg for him not to do this, hearing Sara snarl that she was going to kill Slade when she got free.

"Because," he said softly, slowly lifting his head, meeting Slade's gaze. "Because my mate, my Alpha, is Ra's al Ghul."


	29. Chapter 29

Oliver could feel the shock as it rippled through the air. 

Slade's eye widened as the older Omega took a slow step back, looking at him in shock. It was clear Slade was about to speak, to say something about that little revelation no doubt, but Oliver heard a sound, familiar, the string of a bow going taut and then the arrow being loosed.

Slade, snarling, spun, easily plucking the arrow from the air.

"You're going to have to try a little harder," the Omega growled, snapping the arrow in half, as a figure emerged from the darkness.

Oliver felt a shiver roll down his spine as he recognized the dark clad assassin.

Al Sayf.

"Believe me," Al Sayf said as he slowly drew his sword. "I intend to."

Slade growled, dropping his gun and, from beneath his coat, drew a lethal looking katana. As he shrugged his coat off Oliver let out a low sound but before he could say anything the two men charged one another. Slade might have been a human superweapon but Al Sayf had centuries of training and skill. He saw openings others would miss, even in Slade's carefully built defences. The pair, it seemed, were evenly matched and none of Oliver's shouts, cries for them to stop, seemed to work.

Oliver nearly jumped out of his skin when someone unexpectedly touched his arm.

"Calm yourself, _Habib_ ," Talibah's voice calmed him almost immediately. "We are here to help you and your friends."

"How did you find us?"

"Ta-er al-Sahfer's associate, Mr Diggle, used a satellite owned by the employers of his former wife," Talibah explained as she cut him loose and, when he turned, he saw Diggle and Nyssa freeing Sara while Al Thi'b freed Laurel, pulling her away from the fighting even as she cried, reaching for Sara who, the moment she was free, surged to her feet, ignoring Diggle when he shouted that they should just let the League deal with Slade. He saw her eyes dart from the two fighting men to the grass and he knew what she was looking at.

The gun Slade had put aside in favour of his sword.

"Sara, no!" He leapt forward but not quick enough to stop her from getting hold of Slade's gun.

The shot rang out but, thankfully, his shout had caused both Slade and Al Sayf to leap far enough apart to avoid taking a bullet.

Al Sayf dropped into a crouch, sword still gripped in his hand, gaze fixing on Sara, assessing the threat she posed, while Slade rumbled, turning towards her, scoffing faintly as he found her, or the gun she had pointed at him, to be no threat at all.

"Gonna try shooting me this time, Sara?" The Omega chuckled darkly and shook his head. "The arrow you put through my eye wasn't enough to kill me. What makes you think a bullet will be any better?"

Sara growled faintly.

"Maybe if I paint that tree behind you with your brains it'll take a little bit better."

"Sara," Oliver shook his head, inching towards his friend, slowly, like he was approaching a cornered animal. "Sara, you don't have to do this."

"He abducted my sister," Sara snarled in response, never taking her gaze off Slade. "He threatened to kill her. To kill you. He doesn't get to just walk away. Not this time."

Oliver let out a frustrated sound.

"This isn't about tonight," he snapped at her. "This is about you. About your actions being the catalyst for all of this!"

Sara's gaze darted to him for a brief moment then. "What did you say?"

"You keep blaming Slade," Oliver said, shaking his head. "For what happened on Lian Yu. For what happened to you. To us. But it was you." He took a step back, the words, his true thoughts, spilling from his lips like water through a hole in the dam. "You chose me. You chose to save me and let Shado die."

Sara shook her head. "I won't apologize for saving my friend."

"You didn't save me, Sara." He let out a low sound, not quite a growl but fairly close. "What you did...You killed the only woman I ever loved and then...condemned me to life, alone, on that fucking island after you...you killed the man I loved. If Nyssa hadn't found me I...I would have died there. Because of you."

"I didn't kill Shado," Sara said firmly, fiercely. "Ivo did that. And if not her then he would have killed you. I protected you the...the only way I could."

Oliver shook his head. "Ivo was never going to let any of us live, Sara. Never. But you...you knew that. I saw it in your eyes." His heart broke all over again at that memory. "You knew he was going to kill us all and you still...you played right along with his game."

Sara shook her head, shoulders set, gaze fierce, and a low growl bubbling up through her chest, finger tightening on the trigger. "I made a choice," she said firmly. "An impossible choice. But I'd do it again. To save you, Ollie, I would do it again."

"Sara..."

"And right now I'm protecting the people I love," Sara rumbled, glaring daggers at Slade. "By doing what I should have done six years ago and killing this sick son of a bitch."

"Sara, please, don't do this!"

"He's a monster." Sara shook her head. "Why can't you see that?!"

Before Oliver could speak Nyssa did.

"Sara," the Heir of the Demon moved closer as she spoke. "Please, put down your weapon, and allow the League to deal with Slade Wilson. I swear he will face justice for what he has done."

Sara glanced, briefly, at Nyssa, and Oliver swore he saw a flicker of something, something other than fear and rage, but she shook her head and focused solely on Slade again.

"No." Sara rumbled faintly, her fury increasing when Slade grinned smugly at her. "No. He threatened my city. _My family._ He doesn't get to walk away. Not this time."

Oliver growled darkly.

"Sara..."

Before he could say more Sara twitched, her finger tightening on the trigger and, without really thinking about it, Oliver threw himself between her and Slade, hearing Nyssa's shout, barely seeing the blur that was the Heir of the Demon tackling Sara, just as the gunshot rang out. A searing pain burned through him as the bullet tore into his body, lower than it should have, which meant Nyssa's tackle had likely dropped Sara's aim enough for the shot not to be an immediate kill shot but, as his body fell, Oliver knew he wasn't going to survive.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Al Sayf lunged forward, sword falling from his grip, catching Oliver, just as Slade did, as the young Omega fell, blood soaking through the fabric of his shirt. He heard the chaos around him, his fellow League members snarling, the Heir of the Demon shouting at them to stand down, Ta-er al-Sahfer crying Oliver's name, her sister wailing, demanding to know what her sister had done, if Oliver was alright.

Slowly, carefully, he and Slade lowered Oliver to the ground and he wasn't surprised to find the young man still conscious. Oliver had always been so strong.

Slade snarled slightly but it was more fear than rage and Al Sayf saw, in the man's one eye, the fear. The fear of losing Oliver.

"You little, stupid shit," Slade rumbled, hand pressing to the wound, trying, in vain, to staunch the blood flow. 

"Couldn't..." Oliver coughed faintly, wincing in agony, blood speckling his lips. "Couldn't let...her...shoot you...again..."

Slade let out a low sound. "Always so stupid," he muttered. "Thought you'd have learned after you nearly got your ass killed by Billy."

Oliver started to chuckle but it hurt and quickly turned to a choked sound and his breathing grew ragged, strained, and he looked up at Al Sayf, shakily reaching up to grip the man's arm. "I don't...I don't want to be...buried in...Starling..." he whispered, blood slowly spilling from between his lips to trickle down his chin. "Take...Take me...home...the field...on...on...the western hill...with all the...wildflowers...beneath the...the big oak..."

"Today is not the day you die, Al Sa-him," Al Sayf rumbled as he carefully tore open Oliver's shirt, baring his chest and the bloody wound there. He then all but tore the necklace he wore from his neck, the leather cord snapping, and with a twist of his thumb the amulet, a small vial, that hung from the cord popped open.

"Al Sayf," Nyssa sounded almost afraid. "You cannot..."

"I can," Al Sayf growled, glaring at the daughter of the Demon. "I will." He held the vial over Oliver's chest. "And I am." Without hesitating, even when Nyssa snarled that her father would punish him for his disobedience, he poured the vial's contents, a clear liquid, what looked like ordinary water, over the bullet wound in Oliver's chest.

Oliver gasped, loudly, eyes flying wide, and even with his strength Slade barely managed to hold the young Omega when he unexpectedly jackknifed upwards.

"What the hell did you do?!" Sara started to move towards Al Sayf but Nyssa grabbed hold of her, keeping her at bay, both watching as Oliver slumped back again, still cradled between Slade and Al Sayf.

Sara let out a disbelieving sound as the bullet wound slowly closed.

Not completely, there was still a hole, raw and blood, in his flesh, but it did not look as terrible as it had moments earlier.

"What the hell," Sara gasped, eyes wide, even as Laurel looked ready to faint.

"We need to move him," Al Sayf said as Oliver's eyes drifted shut, his face no longer stricken with pain. "The safe house is closest."

"Are you kidding me?" The sudden, disbelieving shout, came surprisingly from Laurel who, though she still looked ready to faint, was glaring daggers even as Diggle tried to pull her further away from the group of assassins who still, despite Nyssa's command, looked ready to tear Sara apart for what had happened to Oliver. "He needs a hospital!"

"A hospital will ask too many questions," Nyssa said, nodding to her men, giving them a silent command. "Especially now that Al Sayf has chosen to break a sacred law..."

"To save your father's mate," Al Sayf snarled as he moved, carefully lifting Oliver, now bordering on unconsciousness, into his arms, cradling him close as he stood. "Somehow I suspect that Ra's will forgive my so called transgression."

Al Sayf started to move but stilled when Slade went to follow, snarling over his shoulder at the dark eyed Omega. "This is your doing," he rumbled, eyes blazing with his fury. "If you run now I may choose to be merciful in what I tell Ra's about your involvement in the injuring of his mate."

Slade growled, the sound dark and poisonous, everyone tensing, save for Al Sayf.

"I didn't shoot him."

"You were going to," Sara snarled, starting towards Slade only to be intercepted by Al Thi'b and Sayad. "You were going to put a bullet in his head! This, all of this, is your doing!"

Slade snarled but it was, surprisingly, Nyssa who spoke.

"My father will not care that this man was the mastermind behind what has transpired here," the Heir of the Demon said as she shot her men a look, a silent command which they obeyed by flanking Al Sayf. When her dark gaze swung to Sara it softened but only slightly. "All he will concern himself with is who pulled the trigger."

Sara had the good sense to look frightened and she moved, immediately, towards her sister and Diggle.

"I swear, Sara," Nyssa said, reaching out to touch Sara's arm. "I will do all I can to ensure Oliver's wellbeing." She glanced, briefly, at Laurel. "You should tend to your sister. We will tend to our brother."

"Nyssa," Sara started but Laurel was suddenly against her side, whispering something, and Sara's attention shifted to her sister.

Al Sayf used the opening and left the clearing, his brothers and sister close behind, when he caught Slade's scent, following, closer than he would have liked he rumbled.

"Your presence is not necessary," he growled as the Omega fell, easily, into step beside him.

"You're not the only one who cares about him," Slade fired back and Al Sayf huffed as they reached the van they had used to reach the woods.

"You have a very strange way of showing it."

"Pot meet kettle."

Al Sayf gave Slade a cold look as he climbed into the back of the van, Slade quick to follow, and opened his mouth to retort when Oliver, still not quite conscious but not completely out either, suddenly rubbed his cheek against the Alpha's shoulder.

"Stop...picking...fights..." the injured Omega murmured, eyes flickering open as the van began moving, Sayad behind the wheel, Nyssa in the passenger seat next to him, though she was twisted around, watching Oliver closely. "Both of...you..."

Al Sayf could not help but smirk.

"As you command, _Habib_."


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some readers were curious as to what Al Sayf looked like so I figured, like with Sayad, I'd share how I see him:  
>  _[Callan Mulvey](http://payload169.cargocollective.com/1/11/368323/5692884/2_Callan%20Mulvey.jpg) as Al Sayf_

Ra's prowled the length of the cargo plane, an endless back and forth, pacing like a tiger trapped within a cage. His men watched him, concerned, but none spoke. Which he was thankful for. From the moment he had lost contact with his mate he had become agitated, restless, and everything in him had screamed with a fury he had not felt in decades. The plane had been readied quickly and, with a handful of men, he had departed for Starling City.

There were still several hours before landing and Ra's felt as though each passing moment were an eternity.

He kept trying to reach out to his mate, kept trying to feel Oliver through their Bond, only to find it blocked, his mate's mind closed off to him. Though even with the barrier between them he felt small trickles of fear, of doubt and panic. It just added to the agitation the Alpha felt and he had just spun on his heel, to pace back towards the loading door of the plane, when he felt it.

A searing, burning pain in his chest.

The howl the tore from his throat was more animal than human and his knees buckled, body doubling over, and he was barely aware when one of his men was suddenly at his side, concerned for him, for his well being, but all he could focus on was the pain.

Pain that was not his own.

It was Oliver's.

And it was a pain he knew. Had felt years ago when he'd still been a young man.

Gunshot.

His mate, his beloved Omega, had been shot.

From the agony he knew, deep in his bones, that it was not a wound Oliver was going to survive.

His eyes squeezed shut, tears dotting his lashes, and he reached through the Bond, trying to reach his mate, trying to be there for him, to comfort him. He did not want this to happen, did not want to lose Oliver, but if this was his Omega's final moments he wanted to be there in the only way he could. But the pain was too much. The barrier was gone from the Bond but Oliver could not sense him, feel him, over the pain he was feel. It caused a cry of anguish to pass Ra's' lips and he clutched at his chest where he felt the pain radiating from.

This couldn't be how his Bond with his beloved ended.

So close to being together again and yet still so far apart.

He would never get to say goodbye, never to get hold Oliver or tell him how much he loved him, how much better the younger man had made his life, had made him.

An overwhelming feeling of cold washed over him and he felt his heart beat slower, felt as though his lungs were constricting, he felt the Bond start to crack, to fray, and he let out a broken sound, trying one last time to reach out to his mate, to let Oliver know he was there, that he would always be there, only to feel the pain unexpectedly ebb.

Eyes opening he continued to kneel there as the pain eased. He could still feel it, his chest ached, but the Bond no long felt as though it were about to break if he so much as breathed too heavily.

"Master?"

He turned his head, focusing, for the first time, on the man, the boy really, kneeling next to him.

Chase.

The boy Oliver had found and returned with during his first mission for the League.

"Are you alright, Master?" Chase's gaze, blue as the ocean, was full of concern and Ra's gripped the boy's shoulder.

"It's..." the elder Alpha said as he slowly, despite his shaking knees, stood. He shook his head, Chase still lingering close, a few others having moved nearer, watching him, all concerned over him. "Al Sa-him. Something has happened."

One of the men rumbled, gaze hardening. "I shall see if there is any chance that the pilot can get us to Starling City faster," the man said before turning and heading for the cockpit.

Ra's, hand rubbing over his chest, over the spot where he could still feel Oliver's pain, moved slowly towards the nearest seat, knees buckling as he reached it, body slumping back, suddenly feeling so very drained both emotionally and physically. He closed his eyes and focused on his mate. On feeling him. Oliver was still alive. By some miracle, and he was beginning to have his suspicions as to the nature of that miracle, Oliver was still alive.

Eyes still closed, content in the knowledge that his mate was, for the moment at least, safe, Ra's found his mind drifting to the past.

_The streets of London were loud and bustling and made for an excellent place to train the new initiates. To test their ability to blend into a crowd. To go unseen by all._

_Ra's sat on a bench, pretending to be reading a newspaper, monitoring the training._

_A few members of the League were posing as targets, a way for the initiates to practice taking out a target in a crowd without being noticed, but other members of the League, also concealed in the crowd, were there to tag the initiates if they were not stealthy enough. They would brush by the initiate, tapping them, sharply, in the ribs or on the shoulder, to correct them if they made a mistake or misstep. It was, Ra's found, an effect training tool._

_Turning a page of the paper his gaze flickered through the crowd, easily picking out the initiates, a small frown gracing his face as he realized one was missing._

_"How long do we have to keep doing this?"_

_Ra's did not jump, the Demon's Head did not do anything so plebeian, though his head did snap to the side quickly, gaze fixing immediately on the initiate who had been missing._

_Oliver was leaning over the back of the bench, elbows resting against the backrest, his hair hanging into his face in a way that made him appear young and carefree, but his eyes kept flicking from Ra's, studying the crowd, wary, even here, mindful that danger came in many forms. At least one of the initiates had not come to the League completely clueless._

_"You are meant to be taking part in the training."_

_Oliver huffed, his breath causing his hair to fly upwards slightly, as his gaze swung back to Ra's._

_"I've already tagged Sayad five times." A small, barely there grin crossed the young Omega's face. "And Al-Owal. Though just the once."_

_Ra's would not admit it but he was impressed. He had seen Al-Owal move to tag Oliver, who seemed to be paying little attention to his surroundings, only for the young Omega to turn, like a cat, dodging the attempted strike and delivering one of his own to the elder assassin's shoulder, grinning like the Cheshire Cat as he did so. It was a reminder that, despite his appearance, Oliver had spent time in a hostile environment and had survived with help from trained killers. The skills he had learned on Lian Yu served him well. With more time and training he could easily become a very formidable member of the League._

_"And yet I have not called a halt to training," Ra's said as he turned his attention from the Omega. "So continue."_

_Oliver let out a low sound but he straightened and stepped around the bench, beginning to move back into the crowd before he unexpectedly stilled. Ra's, frowning, was about to order the Omega back to his training when Oliver let out a sharp, almost frantic sound as he suddenly spun back towards the leader of the League._

_"Look out!"_

_Everything after that happened so quickly that, even for Ra's, it was a blur of motion and sound._

_But the distinctive sound of a gunshot echoing through the air was something that could not be missed or mistaken._

_When the world returned to its natural state Ra's realized that, somehow, Oliver had spotted a threat in the crowd and, though not a true member of the League, had shielded him. Had taken a bullet meant for him. Ra's snarled out commands in Arabic, sending Al-Owal and several others after the shooter who had darted into the chaos of the crowd, before turning his focus to Oliver._

_The Omega's shirt was soaked with blood from the wound to his shoulder and, despite what had to be an excruciating injury, the Omega barely made a sound. He clutched at the wound, attempting to staunch the bleeding, teeth clenched tightly, eyes burning with his pain and Ra's moved, hands lifting, applying the proper pressure to slow the bleeding._

_"Breathe," Ra's told Oliver as one of his personal guard brought a van as close to the curb as possible, chaos still reigning all around them. "Just breathe."_

_Oliver nodded, jaw still clenched, pain dancing across his face as Ra's helped him stand, help him walk, disappearing into the chaos before they were found by police or any other first responders. They were quickly joined by two members of Ra's' personal guard and, together, they headed for the safe house, knowing the others would regroup with them there._

_Once at the safe house Ra's tended to Oliver's wound himself._

_"You're lucky," the Alpha rumbled as he carefully cleaned and stitched the wound. "The bullet went cleaning through and low enough that you will have little damage to your shoulder." He finished with the last of the stitches. "It will, however, leave a significant scar."_

_Oliver snorted. "Not like I don't already have some of those."_

_Ra's gaze dipped then to Oliver's torso, to the scars that littered the young man's body. Scars from blades and bullets and fire. The Omega had suffered through each injury and come out stronger. The Alpha rumbled faintly, brushing his hand lightly over Oliver's uninjured shoulder as he slowly stood, uncertain what exactly he was feeling but knowing it would be best to put some space between them._

_"Rest," he commanded as Oliver looked up at him. "We will be returning to Nanda Parbat as soon as the others have returned."_

_Oliver nodded and Ra's turned away from the Omega to speak with his men._

The plane jostled unexpectedly, drawing Ra's from his thoughts, and he slowly opened his eyes. He hadn't recalled that memory in a long time. But, if he was honest, that day was the day he begun to fall in love with Oliver. His mate had been so strong, so fearless and selfless. Other moments, many in that first year, had contributed to Ra's feelings for the younger man but it had been that day.

"My Lord," one of his men spoke and drew his gaze across the plane. "The pilot says we should reach Starling within the hour."

Ra's nodded and the man gave a small bow before returning to his seat.

Drawing a slow breath Ra's leaned further back in his seat.

An hour.

It seemed an eternity.

He was not surprised when Chase suddenly settled in the seat next to him. He could practically feel the younger Alpha's nervousness, his worry, and he drew a slow breath as he looked at the boy.

"Speak freely, my son," Ra's said softly, watching the emotions dance through Chase's vibrant gaze. So very similar to Oliver's despite them not being related in the slightest.

Chase glanced down ad away, briefly, before he looked again at Ra's.

"Is...Oliver's okay, isn't he? I mean...you...you would tell us if something had happened...something bad..."

Ra's immediately reached out and touched the younger Alpha's arm, causing him to still, to settle.

"You think I would keep from you news of the man you love as a father?" Ra's shook his head. "Never, Malak, never. Oliver is...he is injured, I can...still feel it. But he is alive. And right now...right now, my son, that is what I...what we...must focus on."

Chase nodded but still the worry lingered in his eyes.

Ra's knew until they saw Oliver there would be no peace. For any of them.

Even the men who had not approached him as Chase had, the men dotted about the plane, worried over Oliver. His mate had inspired friendship and loyalty and love among those he called brother and sister. To know he was hurt and still so far from them, from their home, was difficult. Drawing a deep breath Ra's closed his eyes again and focused on feeling his mate.

Oliver, though still unresponsive to his probing, was alive.

As he had told Chase in that moment knowing his mate was alive was enough.


	31. Chapter 31

Al Sayf carried an unconscious Oliver into the safe house, which was a large loft apartment that had been acquired by the League not long after Nyssa had freed the young Omega from his vows, still keenly aware of Slade following him. Part of him wanted to turn, to tear the man's throat out, to eliminate the threat to Oliver, but he refrained from that desire. Oliver, for some reason, did not want Slade harmed. It made little sense to Al Sayf. But, out of love and respect for Oliver, he would abide by the younger man's wish.

For now.

Entering one of the bedrooms Al Sayf gently laid Oliver on the bed before tugging the remains of the young Omega's shirt off, tossing it aside, it was ruined anyways, before rising and crossing to the adjoining bathroom to fetch a damp washcloth. When he returned, carrying said cloth, he stilled when he saw Slade sitting on the edge of the bed, posture rigid, looking down at Oliver with an unreadable expression. It unnerved the Alpha that he could not read Slade as he did most others.

"If you're thinking of finishing what you started," he rumbled darkly, moving to the bed. "I would caution you to rethink your decision."

Slade growled, shooting Al Sayf a dark scowl, before his gaze, surprisingly softening, back to Oliver.

"I..." The Omega huffed and shook his head. "I wouldn't have actually done it."

Al Sayf gently washed the blood from Oliver's chest, examining the still healing wound, finding it to look much better than it had half an hour before.

"I find that difficult to believe," Al Sayf retorted, noticing Nyssa lingering in the doorway, watching, wary of leaving the man she viewed as her brother alone in his vulnerable state.

"Believe whatever you want," Slade snapped back, a deep growl rumbling up from his chest, before he looked down at Oliver again. "I made him a promise."

"And what promise would that be," Nyssa spoke from the doorway, earning a dark look from Slade. "To burn his world down, perhaps? Or to see him dead along with Sara?"

Slade surged to his feet but Nyssa did not back down, her dark gaze all but daring Slade to do something, to risk her father's wrath further.

Al Sayf shook his head and quickly straightened, subtly drawing something from a pouch on his belt. "I've little patience for this pissing contest," he muttered before swiftly jabbing Slade in the neck with a needle.

Slade snarled and whirled, no doubt ready for a fight, but staggered, blinking, body moving sluggishly and Al Sayf smiled darkly, holding up the needle, a few drops of blue liquid still clinging to the syringe.

"Tibetan Pit Viper venom," the Alpha explained as Slade staggered backwards. "Sadly it won't kill you, I suspect I'd need a much higher dose for that, but it will render you unconscious for quite some time."

Slade started to growl but his eye rolled back in his skull and he dropped, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, and Al Sayf huffed before looking at a surprised looking Nyssa.

"I'd suggest finding some way of binding him," he said, nodding to Slade's unconscious form. "And move him from this room. I do not want his presence effecting Al Sa-him."

Nyssa nodded. "I will instruct the others."

Al Sayf nodded and returned his attention to Oliver as Nyssa called for Talibah and Sayad, the pair helping her to haul Slade's unconscious form from the room. 

Oliver didn't stir during the commotion but, as Al Sayf continued to clean the blood from the young man's body, Oliver finally stirred, eyes slowly opening and, after a moment of blinking in confusion, his gaze settled on Al Sayf.

"Where...Where are..."

"A safe house," Al Sayf said as he set the washcloth aside, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You need to rest, _Habib_. The water will do its work but it will still be a few hours before you are well enough to move."

Oliver blinked and slowly looked around again.

"Where's...Slade?"

Al Sayf huffed and nodded towards the door. "He is...resting."

The Omega's gaze focused on him and narrowed slightly. "He..."

"He's alive and in one piece," the Alpha was quick to reassure, not wanting Oliver to stress or strain himself. "Merely...unconscious."

"Al Sayf."

"Peace, _Habib_ ," Al Sayf brushed the backs of his knuckles over Oliver's cheek. "Slade Wilson is alive and well. That should be enough, yes?"

Oliver relaxed back against the pillows, groaning faintly, his chest aching as though he had been run over by a truck. Reaching up he prodded at what, before he'd fallen unconscious, had been a severe gunshot wound. He wasn't surprised when Al Sayf huffed and slapped his hand away.

"What is with youth and playing with things best left alone, hmm?" The Alpha grouched though he was smiling fondly.

Oliver let out a soft sigh and looked up at Al Sayf.

"You used water from the Pit, didn't you?"

When the Alpha did not respond right away Oliver shook his head.

"You broke a sacred law and..."

"To save you," Al Sayf said, catching hold of Oliver's chin, forcing the Omega to meet and hold his gaze. "I did it to save you. It is a choice I would willingly make again."

"But Ra's..."

"What do you think will matter more to the Demon's Head, pup? That I broke a law of the League or that I saved the life of his mate?"

Oliver didn't say anything but Al Sayf could see the doubt in the young Omega's eyes.

" _Habib_ , what is wrong?"

The Omega huffed. "Nothing. Well, besides the fact that I have a healing bullet wound in my chest, nothing's wrong."

Al Sayf tightened his grip, ever so slightly, on Oliver's chin.

"Try again, pup," the Alpha rumbled faintly before giving Oliver a gentle look. "I know you, Oliver. I have watched you flourish from frightened survivor to a powerful warrior. I _know_ you. I know when something is bothering you. You can talk to me, pup."

Oliver lay there, silent, for several minutes before he closed his eyes, drawing a shallow breath.

"It's just...I keep..." The Omega slowly opened his eyes, meeting Al Sayf's gaze head on. "I keep thinking...after everything I've done. Abandoning my duties. Denying my mate. What...What if he no longer wants me? What...What if I've destroyed what we shared?"

"Oliver..."

"I want to go home," Oliver whispered, voice broken, tears beginning to fill his eyes. "I want...I want to be with my mate but...but..." He let out a weak sound. "I've nearly killed myself, twice, and...and I can't begin to imagine what that did to Ra's. How...How can he still want me? Why would he still want me? I'm..."

Al Sayf shook his head and slotted his hand over Oliver's mouth to force the Omega to be silent. He would hear no more of this.

"Why is it that all you young pups over think things so much? You make yourself sick with this worry and then fear things that will never come to pass."

Oliver's eyebrows furrowed and Al Sayf gave him a gentle look.

"Ra's loves you, Oliver," the Alpha said softly. "I have known him for centuries and I...I have never seen him look at anyone, Alpha, Beta or Omega, the way he looks at you. He may have fathered two daughters but he did not love their mothers as he loves you. He would burn the world down for you and, in the same breath, he would rebuild it however you wished."

Al Sayf's thumb brushed over Oliver's lower lip.

"If there is one thing, in all the world, I am certain of it is that Ra's al Ghul loves you with all his heart and soul. He will never stop loving you, Oliver. Never."

Oliver let out a soft sound and blinked, tears gliding silently down his cheeks.

"And besides," Al Sayf continued, still smiling, hand moving to cup Oliver's cheek, thumb brushing away the tears. "If he should be stupid enough to cast you aside you will always have me. And, it would seem, Slade Wilson. Though I think I am the better prize."

The Alpha wasn't surprised when Oliver laughed, was actually glad of it, and his smile widened.

"There's the sweet pup I know," Al Sayf said, still smiling. "You must have faith, _Habib_. Faith in your mate and his ability to forgive. Faith in his love for you."

Oliver reached up, lightly brushing his fingers over Al Sayf's wrist, a small smile finally gracing the Omega's face.

"For being the big bad boogeyman of the League you can be surprisingly sweet and insightful when you want to be."

Al Sayf chuckled lightly, leaning forward to brush a soft kiss to Oliver's forehead.

"You forget," the Alpha said softly. "That I was willing to fight to be your Alpha. When it comes to you I will be whatever you need of me."

Oliver gave Al Sayf a gentle look, reaching up to brush his hand lightly over the Alpha's cheek.

"In another life we'd have made quite the power couple," he teased and Al Sayf chuckled.

"You need to rest, _Habib_ ," the Alpha replied, slowly rising, leaning back down to kiss Oliver's forehead again. "I will be here when you wake."

Oliver nodded and settled back against the pillows, eyes slowly closing, and Al Sayf waited until he was certain the younger man was asleep before he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him, finding that Nyssa and the others had bound Slade Wilson to a chair with heavy chains. Nyssa, sensing his presence, turned and fixed him with an unreadable look.

"I do not believe this will be enough to hold him," the Heir of the Demon said as Al Sayf prowled towards the bound Omega.

"It won't," Al Sayf agreed, circling the chair in which Slade was slumped. "But I've enough venom to keep him unconscious until Ra's arrives."

Nyssa frowned. "What makes you think..."

"His mate was nearly killed, again," Al Sayf rumbled, looking at Nyssa sharply. "I have known your father for a very long time. He has likely already left Nanda Parbat and is heading for this city."

At that moment Sayad entered the room.

"I've just received word," the man said, looking from Nyssa to Al Sayf and back to Nyssa. "Ra's al Ghul will be in the city within the hour."

Nyssa's eyes widened a fraction but Al Sayf merely grinned in a way that clearly said _I told you so_ before he looked at Slade again.

"Keep him unconscious and bound," the Alpha rumbled darkly. "Ra's can decide what to do with him."

Everyone in the room nodded.

All, save for Al Sayf, suddenly anxious.

Ra's al Ghul's presence in Starling City was bound to make waves.

The city and its inhabitants had no idea the storm that was coming.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the reunion between Ra's and Oliver that I kept promising everyone was going to happen in this chapter actually has been pushed to the next one. Sorry about that, guys.

By the time the plane finally landed in Starling City, by the time they reached the safe house, Ra's found it difficult to pinpoint a single emotion to best explain what he was feeling. He was now closer to his mate than he had been in months and yet still felt so very far away. What awaited him? Would Oliver receive him warmly or would his beloved mate continue to push him away?

Drawing a deep breath he led the way into the loft, Chase right behind him, the others trailing the boy.

He was greeted, not surprisingly, by his daughter.

Nyssa stood straight and tall, stiff as a board, and he saw her worry, her fear, in her dark eyes. She feared what he would say, what he would do, since Oliver had been injured despite her presence to keep him safe.

"Father," she greeted him with a slight bow.

"My mate?"

Nyssa nodded towards a door across the room. "He is resting. Al Sayf says he should be fully healed soon."

Ra's glanced around the room, taking note of the man slumped, chained, in a chair across the room. Growling faintly, hands curling into fists at his sides. "Is this the man responsible?"

Nyssa hesitated.

"It is...complicated, Father."

Ra's frowned and looked again at his daughter.

"Complicated." He repeated the word slowly. "Explain."

"Slade Wilson set in motion the events which led to Oliver being shot but he...he himself did not pull the trigger."

"Then why is this accomplice not chained beside him?"

He saw different emotions play across Nyssa's face.

"Because..." Nyssa tilted her chin up slightly. A minor show of defiance. "Because I do not feel, given what transpired, that Sara Lance should be held accountable for shooting..."

"That decision is not yours to make," Ra's snarled, causing Nyssa to fall silent. "You will bring this Sara Lance to face judgement."

"Father..."

When Ra's snarled again, this time sounding more animal than man, Nyssa fell silent again and took a small step back.

"If you will not obey my command then perhaps I will send those who will."

He started to turn, to address the men who had come with him, but Nyssa spoke quickly.

"I will do it," she said, chin tilting upwards once more and he saw the fierce fire burning in her eyes. "I will bring Sara Lance to you."

Ra's watched her leave, sensing her rage, and, a part of him, the part that would always, first and foremost, be a father, wished that she had refused. He did not take any pleasure in causing his daughter pain. He knew she had feelings for Sara Lance. Being the one to bring the woman to face judgement would not be easy for Nyssa but it was necessary. Sara Lance could not be pardoned. Not easily. And not until he had spoken with the woman. He would weigh her words, her actions, before passing judgement. But she would face judgement.

Drawing a deep breath he turned and, slowly, made his way towards the room where his mate was.

The room was dark, lit only by a lamp in the corner, and as he entered his gaze went immediately to the bed where Oliver lay.

He swore his heart skipped as he took in the slumbering face of his mate.

Oliver was pale, but there was color rising, slowly, in his skin, meaning he was indeed healing.

Seeing his mate, for the first time in nearly a year, left him somewhat reeling.

Still uncertain how he would be received he quietly made his way across the room, sinking down to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching out to brush his hand over Oliver's cheek. His mate, his Omega, did not stir but he felt their Bond flare and a small smile slowly graced his face before he leaned down to brush a soft kiss to Oliver's forehead, taking his mate's hand in his. He wanted to do much more but, simply seeing his mate, knowing Oliver was indeed well and safe, was enough for now.

He knew they had much to talk about, and he suspected an argument or two would arise, but for now he was content to sit and simply hold his mate's hand. Whatever came next they could face together.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Nyssa tracked Sara down to Verdant, surprising given what had transpired that night, but the female assassin did not ponder it too long. Instead she forced herself to focus on the task she had come to do. Even if she did not wish to do.

"Sara," she spoke as she approached Sara, who was at the bar, a half empty glass of vodka sitting on the bar top.

Sara growled faintly. "What do you want now," she rumbled, barely sparing Nyssa a glance.

"I had thought you would be with your sister," Nyssa admitted softly and Sara huffed, spinning her empty shot glass around on the bar.

Sara snorted.

"She wasn't exactly receptive to my comfort after I shot our friend. Who, until tonight, she thought had died six years ago." Sara shook her head. "She's with our dad."

Nyssa nodded but, before she could speak, Sara was continuing.

"And you didn't answer my question," the blonde said, turning to lean back against the bar. "What do you want?"

Nyssa let out a low sound. "Oliver is nearly healed," she said, stepping closer, noticing how Sara's eyes flicked over her, taking clear note that she still wore her League gear.

"Not that I'm not glad to hear that," Sara replied and Nyssa knew the blonde was indeed very relieved and glad to hear their friend was alright. She could hear it in her voice. "But it doesn't exactly answer my question."

Nyssa nodded and drew a slow deep breath.

"My father has arrived in Starling City," she explained and hated the flicker of fear she saw dance through Sara's beautiful eyes. "He has requested your presence."

Sara stiffened, defiance clearly burning through her, and she slowly straightened from where she had been leaning.

"I am not to blame for what happened tonight," she growled. "Slade Wilson..."

"Will face his own judgement for his hand in what transpired," Nyssa cut in quickly, wanting Sara to understand that Slade was not just going to walk away. "My father will see to that. But he...he will still hold you accountable for Oliver's injury."

"I wasn't trying to shoot Ollie though!"

Nyssa nodded. "I know that," she said as she took a step towards to Sara, wanting to calm and comfort the blonde. Wanting to protect her from whatever fury was currently brewing within her father. "My men know it as well. But my father...he wishes to speak with you."

Sara shook her head.

"Why do I suddenly feel like a criminal on death row?"

Nyssa wished she could have said something to comfort, or calm, the other woman but what could she say?

Sara had heard stories, many stories no doubt, about her father.

The blonde likely knew what the leader of the League did to those brought to him for judgement.

Drawing a deep breath Nyssa boldly, daringly, reached out to tuck Sara's hair behind her ear, hand lingering to cup the blonde's cheek.

"If I could convince him not to do this I would," the female assassin said softly, watching the different emotions dance across Sara's face like leaves blown about by the breeze. "I know the last thing you wanted tonight was to hurt Oliver. I will...I will speak in your defence. I swear I will."

Sara studied her for what felt like an eternity before doing the last thing Nyssa had expected.

The blonde leaned forward and captured her lips in a searing kiss.

It lasted only a few moments but, as Sara drew back, Nyssa let out a soft sound and leaned forward, pressing their foreheads together, dark eyes meeting blue and holding.

"I will protect you," Nyssa whispered even as Sara's hands gripped her hips, her own hand moving to tangle in Sara's hair. "I...I know we barely know one another, Sara, but I will protect you. Even from my father if necessary."

Sara gave her a small, ghost of a smile.

Nyssa knew they should leave, should not keep her father waiting, but in that moment she could forget the rest of the world existed. She could pretend it was just her and Sara. For a moment she thought that perhaps this was what her father and Oliver felt with one another.


	33. Chapter 33

Oliver woke to the feeling of someone holding his hand and the familiar sensation of the Bond he shared with Ra's buzzing with the Alpha's close proximity. Inhaling slowly, scenting the air, his entire body humming as his mate's scent, rich and powerful, washed over his senses. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked up at the man, the Alpha, he hadn't seen in nearly a year.

Ra's rumbled faintly as their gazes met and Oliver couldn't help the soft, almost purring, sound he made in response.

"Ra's," he murmured his mate's name and couldn't help but tangle his fingers with the Alpha's.

Ra's rumbled again before surprising Oliver by leaning down, brushing their lips together in a soft, tender kiss. A soft whine bubbled up from the Omega's chest and he eagerly kissed back. But, just as quickly as Ra's had begun kissing him, the Alpha backed off. Though he still hovered over Oliver, as though ready to swoop back in to kiss the younger man again at a moments notice. Ra's reached up to cup Oliver's cheek and a small, tender smile graced the Alpha's face.

" _Habib_ ," the Alpha rumbled softly, thumb brushing over the stubble on Oliver's cheek.

"I..."

Oliver had no idea what he should say. The words, the apologies, were all tumbling about in his mind but he could seem to find his voice. Instead he let out a low sound before opening his mind, their Bond, and letting Ra's fully in for the first time in a long time. He felt the warmth and love and acceptance of his mate wash over him and he shivered slightly as he let Ra's sense, let him feel, what he was. All of it. His love. His doubt. His fear.

"Oh, _habib_ ," Ra's shook his head, his expression shifting between so many emotions it was difficult to keep track of them all. "My beautiful Oliver." He rubbed his thumb gently over Oliver's cheek. "I will never cast you aside." He brushed another soft, barely there, kiss to Oliver's lips. "No matter what. You and I, we are forever, my love. Nothing you do, or say, will ever cause me to cast you aside."

Ra's brushed his hand over Oliver's chest, over the new scar there, the only reminder that, just hours earlier, the Omega had taken a bullet.

"Even when you take leave of the sanity I know you possess," the Alpha said, fingers dancing lightly over the scar tissue. "And risk your life for...for God only knows what reason. I have taken you into my heart and I love you with all of my soul, Oliver. You...You are the light in my darkness. And you shall always be such."

Oliver let out a low sound before he surged upwards, capturing Ra's lips in a searing, bruising kiss.

The Omega's tongue darted out to trace the seam of his Alpha's lips with deliberate persuasion, awakening the passion within his mate, who returned the kiss eagerly, opening his mouth and deepening their kiss, claiming the younger man's mouth for his own. Oliver groaned faintly. There was so much emotion in the way Ra's kissed him. So much raw power that it was actually starting to stir him and he could feel his body reacting. His hands moved, reaching out to curl around Ra's hips, feeling the taut, well-formed muscle and bone beneath his touch. Oliver wasn't sure if it was possible to get drunk and dizzy off something as simple as a kiss but he was starting to think it was.

Ra's let out a low sound, a deep rumble, like echoing thunder before pushed Oliver back down, settling over his mate, forcing one leg between the Omega's, making the younger man gasp into the kiss, hips bucking, pressing roughly against the Alpha's thigh. Guttural sounds of appreciation slipped through their kiss as Oliver moved one hand up Ra's' hair, holding his mouth in place as he kissed him ever harder and deeper, rutting against his mate needily.

When they finally parted, both men were panting heavily. Ra's rested his forehead against Oliver's and breathed in his mate's scent, chest heaving, body thrumming with desire. Desire for his mate. He knew there was still much they needed to discuss. Things to be explained. But, in that moment, all Ra's wanted was to feel his mate. To be with him as they had not been in so very long.

Ra's moved one hand between them, cupping Oliver through his dark trousers and the Omega couldn't help the way his breathing hitched or the way his hips bucked, pressing closer to his mate's touch. The Alpha rubbed his palm against the Omega's growing hardness, smirking at the way Oliver's breath turned shallow and small moans passed his lips.

Oliver's hands moved, returning again to Ra's hips, sliding up to tug at the Alpha's shirt, the silent plea met by Ra's leaning back, tugging his shirt up and off, tossing it somewhere off the bed. Oliver let out an appreciative rumble as he reached out, running his hands over the bare skin of his mate's torso before he caught the Alpha behind the shoulder, pulling the man down to him and initiating a sloppy, open mouthed kiss. Ra's grunted his approval before blanketing his body over his mate.

They were so different in form.

Oliver was tall and lean muscle. Ra's was shorter but well-toned.

Yet they fit together perfectly.

As they always had.

Ra's had just reached for his mate's pants when someone knocked at the door.

"My Lord," Al Sayf's voice drifted through the door and Ra's rumbled faintly. "Nyssa has returned with Sara Lance."

Ra's rumbled again, head resting against Oliver's shoulder, and the younger man felt the tremble roll through his mate. Neither was thrilled about the interruption but they both knew this was important. They couldn't just ignore it. No matter how much they may have wanted to. So, reluctantly, Ra's rose, fetching his shirt while Oliver gingerly climbed from the bed.

"You should rest, _habib_ ," Ra's tried to reason but Oliver shook his head, finding a shirt in the dresser, tugging it on as quickly as he could given his chest twinged with pain when he moved certain ways.

"That's my friend out there," Oliver replied, jutting his chin towards the door. "She...She's made some poor choices. But she's still my friend."

Ra's studied him for a moment but nodded, understanding, before leading the way from the room.

Nyssa stood with Sara Lance at her side and, Ra's found, the blonde woman was not what he had been expecting. She was little more than a child. Grown, yes, but he saw it in her face. In the way she carried herself. She kept glaring daggers at Slade, still unconscious in the chair, but held her silence. Her expression, however, spoke volumes. If she had her way Slade would lay dead at her feet.

He took a step forward, his movements causing Sara's focus to shift, to settle on him, wary and accessing. Oliver, of course, followed him, stepping up beside him, and he didn't miss the look his mate shot Al Sayf, who was settled on the back of the sofa behind the chair where Slade was seated. Al Sayf merely shrugged and gave a small grin. Oliver shook his head and, whatever silent conversation had passed between them, ended as easily as it had begun.

Ra's was not surprised when Chase suddenly stepped up next to Oliver, the young Alpha letting his arm brush against Oliver's, who smiled softly, fondly, and bumped his shoulder against the younger man's.

Drawing a deep breath, forcing his face to be not but a mask of stone, he focused on Sara Lance.

"I trust, Miss Lance, that my daughter has explained my reasons for wishing to speak with you."

Sara gave a nod, gaze darting to Oliver and he saw the relief dance through her eyes. She may have pulled the trigger but, it was clear, Oliver had not been her intended victim.

"I never meant to hurt Oliver," the blonde said though she was still looking at Oliver. "I would _never_ willingly hurt him. He's...He's the closest thing I have to a brother."

Ra's gave a slight nod.

"I do not doubt your...affection...for him." The Demon's Head took a small step forward, hands folding behind his back. "But your actions led directly to his injury."

"Slade Wilson..."

"Did not shoot my mate." Ra's regarded the young woman and, not surprisingly, saw a child who had never been held accountable for her actions. She had done things, many things, that she had never been forced to own up to. That would not happen here. "You did."

"I..."

"I am not excusing, or forgetting, the role Mr Wilson played in the events of tonight but, in this moment, it is you I am dealing with."

Sara's gaze narrowed as she finally looked again at Ra's.

"I was trying to eliminate a threat," she rumbled faintly, either ignoring or not noticing the gentle warning looking Nyssa shot her. "A threat to my city. To my friends and family. To _your_ mate."

"Commendable though your actions, or rather the intent of them, may be, they still resulted in the injury, in the near death, of the man I love." Ra's let out a low rumble of his own. "And I cannot overlook that."

Sara growled at the Demon's Head and every assassin in the room stiffened, Chase growled back, eyes blazing, but at twin looks from Ra's and Oliver, the young Alpha fell silent once more.

"I told you," Sara ground out, glaring daggers at Ra's. "I was..."

"Acting rashly," Ra's cut across her words and earned an almost petulant scowl. "And without forethought as to what you actions would trigger. I have the sense that you do that often."

Sara's scowl, if possible, deepened.

Nyssa made a soft sound and, bravely, attempted to interject on the blonde woman's behalf.

"Father, please, Sara's actions..."

"Led to consequences that, if not for quick action on the part of one of my men, would have meant I would have arrived in Starling to bury my mate." Ra's shook his head. "I cannot simply ignore this, Nyssa."

"I am not asking you too," Nyssa said, looking at Oliver for support but he said nothing. "Father, please, Sara..."

"If it wasn't for Slade none of this would even have happened," Sara snarled loudly, cutting Nyssa off even as her hands clenched tightly at her sides. "If he had just...just left us alone..."

Ra's let out a low rumble, like echoing thunder, and Sara wisely fell silent.

The Alpha slowly looked at Oliver.

"Explain to me, _habib_ , what exactly Slade Wilson is to you and why Miss Lance seems to think the best solution to whatever problem he is creating is to kill him."

Oliver glanced, briefly, at the still unconscious Slade before meeting Ra's gaze.

This was one of the few things he and Ra's had never discussed.

His time on Lian Yu and his relationships with the few allies he had had there.

"Slade...Slade and I were..." Oliver let out a huff of breath. "He kept me alive, on Lian Yu, and we grew..." He shrugged. "Close."

Sara snorted. "That's certainly one way to put it, Ollie."

Ra's gave the woman a cold stare before nodding for his mate to continue.

Oliver drew a deep breath and looked, again, at Slade, remembering the good times on Lian Yu. Back before the Mirakuru had warped the older Omega's mind. Turning him from treasured free to a murderous psychopath.

"We were going to Bond with the same Alpha." Oliver fought down the memories of the night Shado had died. Memories of Sara's role in the death of Slade's mate. "They bonded first and then..." Oliver rumbled softly and looked at Sara. "And then Sara's choice got Shado killed." He ignored the look Sara shot him. The hurt, angry glare. "It, along with the Mirakuru, broke him. In a way I...I can't even begin to fathom."

"You feel sympathy for him? After he tried to kill you?"

Oliver looked at Ra's then.

"He never..." Oliver shook his head. "He wouldn't have actually hurt me."

Sara snarled at that, drawing both Ra's and Oliver's gazes, and her eyes flashed wildly.

"He put a damn gun to your head, Ollie!" Sara shook her head. "He was seconds away from killing you! Just like when we were on the _Amazo_!"

Oliver rumbled. "You don't know what you're talking about. He never hurt or tried to hurt me when he held me captive on the _Amazo_."

"I saw..."

"You saw what?" Oliver growled sharply, hands clenching at his sides. "You saw him haul me from a room? Saw him pulling me down a corridor after you and that Russian blew a goddamn hole in the side of the ship?"

"He was going to..."

"He was trying to get me off that damn ship before it sank!"

Silence settled over the room and Oliver, chest heaving, aching, quivered slightly. His muscles kept tensing and relaxing and he wasn't surprised when Chase, always so perceptive for one so young, rubbed a hand over the back of his shoulder, the young Alpha murmuring softly. Telling him it was okay, that he was safe, to calm down. It was the same technique Oliver had used on the young Alpha when he'd first brought Chase to Nanda Parbat.

"All you saw was a monster," Oliver said quietly as he shook his head. Chest still aching, phantom pains from the gunshot. "Even before the Mirakuru you didn't trust Slade. And after...all you tried to do was convince me he was a danger. To me. To us. You...You told me it was best to lie...to a man who had just lost his mate and I...I was stupid enough to listen. Stupid enough to believe you knew best."

Oliver drew a slow deep breath, meeting Sara's gaze, which had softened somewhat, head on.

"You're always so busy pointing the finger and laying blame at someone else's feet," he said softly. "But you never stop to own up to your own actions. You never take the blame that you should. You might be trying to protect this city and the people you care about, Sara, but...but until you can take responsibility for your actions, for your choices, you're...you're nothing but a coward."

Sara's eyes went wide and Oliver thought, for a moment, she was about to cry. He could see the tears shining in her eyes but she didn't shed them.

"Ollie..."

"Slade needs help, Sara," Oliver said firmly, truly believing it. "He's done some...some fucked up shit, I won't deny it, but he doesn't deserve to die because...because he's doing what he thinks he has to. He needs...needs help. Needs to heal and move on from this...this nightmare he's been stuck in since Shado died."

"He's a killer," Sara replied, voice soft, as though she were trying to convince Oliver to see things her way. It made Ra's bristle but Oliver shook his head.

"So am I," Oliver said with a sad smile. "And, once, so were you."

"Ollie..."

Oliver ignored her and looked at Ra's.

"I know League law says she should be punished for shooting me but...I'm not a member of the League any longer," the Omega said softly, watching the barely noticeable emotions dance through his mate's dark eyes. "League law no longer applies to me."

"You are still my mate," Ra's replied calmly. "And as such..."

"I don't want you to hurt her," Oliver cut his Alpha off. "As much as I know you want to I...I don't want her hurt. What happened tonight...I know Sara would never intentionally hurt me. So please, I'm asking...no...I'm _begging_ you, to show mercy. For me."

Ra's regarded Oliver silently for a moment before moving, reaching out to cup his mate's cheek, thumb brushing lightly over it.

"Such compassion and devotion," the Alpha said softly, giving Oliver a gentle smile. "I am indeed lucky to call you mine."

Ra's turned then and looked at Sara, his expression hardening, gaze narrowing. Part of him still wanted, deeply, to see her bloodied for the harm she had inflicted upon Oliver but he could not refuse his mate. Not when Oliver had already cut Sara to the quick with his words. It would, the Alpha decided, be enough. This time.

"Count your blessings, Miss Lance," the Demon's Head said, not missing how Nyssa sighed in relief. "You are free to go."

The words _This time_ went unsaid but they were clear none the less. Ra's had shown her mercy. He would not do so a second time.

Sara, eyes still shining with tears, looked at Ra's. "What about Slade?"

"He is no longer your concern."

"But he's..."

Nyssa caught Sara's arm, leaning in to softly whisper in the blonde's ear, whatever she said had the desired effect and Sara didn't press the subject of Slade Wilson further. She merely nodded, looked at Oliver, murmuring an apology, before letting Nyssa walk her from the loft.

Once the door closed behind them Ra's drew a slow breath and turned his attention to Slade Wilson.


	34. Chapter 34

Oliver moved, putting himself between Ra's and Slade.

Ra's eyebrow ticked upwards. " _Habib,_ " he started to speak but Oliver rumbled and shook his head.

"I'm not going to let you kill him," Oliver rumbled, knowing full well that fighting his mate on this would likely end in injury. For one or both of them.

Ra's expression did not change, not for a second, but Oliver felt the Alpha's presence, his warmth, in the back of his mind.

" _Habib_ ," Ra's started once more but fell silent when a low groan caused everyone to look at Slade.

The Omega groaned again as he blinked, shaking his head, the lingering effects of the venom still keeping him groggy. Oliver turned and reached out, ignoring the warning look from Al Sayf, lightly touching Slade's shoulder, causing the older Omega to jerk, head snapping up, gaze slightly unfocused.

"Easy," he said as Slade blinked, gaze slowly coming to focus on Oliver. "Just take it easy."

Slade blinked again. "Kid? What..." Slade went to move his arm and growled when he found it chained. "The hell?"

"Didn't want you getting handsy," Al Sayf spoke, causing Oliver to shoot him a look, which he ignored, and Slade growled, beginning to shift, to test the strength of the chains.

Ra's, sensing the impending fight that would surely break, immediately stepped forward, drawing Slade's attention even as the older Omega growled again.

"Until we ascertain that you are not a threat to my mate you will remain chained," Ra's said simply and Oliver let out a low sound.

"He's not..."

"You nearly died tonight because of actions set into motion by this man," Ra's rumbled faintly, gaze narrowing as he glared at Slade, who glared right back, hands still straining against the chains, testing them. Both knew Slade could easily free himself. And that the likely reason he wasn't was because of Oliver.

"I will give you a chance, and only one chance, to explain you actions, Mr Wilson. And know that, should I still believe you to be a threat to my mate, you will not leave this room alive."

Slade huffed out a breath.

"Is this the part where I'm meant to be intimidated? Frightened into behaving like a good little Omega?"

Ra's' eyebrow ticked up and Oliver let out a faint groan.

Of all times for Slade's natural sarcasm to come out it was now.

"Slade, please."

Slade huffed again. Completely ignoring Oliver's pleading tone.

"So you're the big, bad Ra's al Ghul, huh?" Slade looked Ra's up and down, a slight sneer gracing his face. "Kid could do better."

The assassins in the room stiffened, a few even growled, but Ra's surprised them all by smiling. It was a small smile, barely there, but everyone saw it. Ra's took a slow step forward, hands folding behind his back, the desire to inflict injury, a large amount of injury, to the man in front of him coursed through his veins but he held his temper. Now was not the time for violence. He had to remain in control.

"I am indeed," Ra's said, that small smile still gracing his face. "And you, Mr Wilson, are in a precarious situation."

"You think you can kill me?" Slade didn't seem impressed.

"I know of the Mirakuru coursing through your veins and its healing properties," Ra's said. "Though if that eye patch you are wearing is any indicator even Mirakuru has its limits. Can you grow back body parts once they've been removed, I wonder?"

Slade growled, the sound dark and dangerous, and Oliver immediately stepped in.

"No one is cutting limbs off," Oliver snapped, shooting his Alpha and then Slade looks. "Just answer the question."

Slade looked at Oliver studying him for a moment before his dark gaze swung back to Ra's.

"I'm sure the kid told you everything."

"I have my _habib_ 's account of events," Ra's said with a nod. "I find having all accounts best when passing judgement."

Slade growled.

"What's to tell? I came to Starling City to destroy the person who took everything from me."

"Sara Lance."

Slade growled lowly at the mention of Sara, hands tightening around the chains, gaze narrowing sharply.

"And what, exactly," Ra's continued, watching Slade closely, seeing the way his emotions rapidly shifted. "Do you intend to do to my mate?"

Slade's gaze darted to Oliver for the briefest of moments.

"I won't hurt him."

Oliver looked at Ra's even as his Alpha rumbled.

"You abducted him," the Demon's Head growled sharply. "Pointed a gun at his head. Threatening to shoot him."

Slade growled.

"I wasn't going to pull the fucking trigger!"

Oliver blinked and looked at Slade, the older Omega's chest was heaving and he kept straining against the chains, but he didn't break free.

"Slade..." Oliver started to take a step towards Slade but the other Omega spoke again, though his gaze was no longer fixed on him or Ra's, but rather on the corner of the room, as though looking at something or someone.

"You'd never forgive me if I hurt him," Slade murmured and Oliver frowned as he and Ra's shared a look. It was clear Slade wasn't speaking to anyone in the room. And then he growled again before snapping hotly. "I promised you, didn't I? I'll protect him! Like we said we would!"

Oliver's heart leapt into his throat so quickly he was amazed he didn't pass out.

He saw the confusion dance across the faces of Ra's and the others but he knew, or at least suspected, what was happening here. What Slade was seeing. Who he was seeing.

Letting out a low sound Oliver closed the distance between him and the older Omega, ignoring the soft sound Chase made, worried, fearful for his safety, he reached out, cupping Slade's cheek, slowly turning the older Omega's head, forcing him to look up at him. Slade seemed confused. Lost. And Oliver slowly knelt, still cupping Slade's cheek, letting out a soft sound. An Omega's attempt to comfort.

"Slade," Oliver spoke softly, gently. "Slade, you...you're seeing Shado, aren't you? That's who you're talking to."

Slade let out a soft chuffing sound. Gaze darting to the corner of the room again. And then back to Oliver's face before leaning forward enough to press his forehead to the younger Omega's.

"I promised her," Slade rumbled softly, the sound almost like the purr of a big cat. "To protect you. To love you."

Oliver couldn't help but smile as his hand slid from Slade's cheek, curling around the back of the elder Omega's head, fingers tangling gently in Slade's hair, holding the elder Omega close.

"Slade," Oliver continued speaking softly. "Look around. Look at these people. These are the people who...who sheltered me when I had nothing. These are the people who took me in, made me one of their own, _loved_ me." Oliver smiled slightly. "They became my home...my family...when I thought I had lost everything else that mattered."

Oliver felt Ra's brush against his mind, felt the love and warmth and acceptance that flowed from his Alpha and he pushed back with the same.

"Slade, I...I know you think all you have left is vengeance but...but you still have me." Oliver heard the chains binding Slade rattle, felt the elder Omega shift slightly. "We're still brothers, you and I. I...I don't want you to keep hurting. You need help, Slade. Please...Please let me...let me help you."

Slade let out a low sound and suddenly the chains holding the man snapped, the links flying, falling away in a rush.

Oliver let out a startled sound even as chaos erupted around them.

Hands grabbed him, the scents belonging to Ra's and Chase, hauling him back even as Slade snarled and surged upwards from his chair, advancing towards Oliver which made Ra's snarl and start to move to meet the Omega.

Only for everything to go still and quiet when a dart suddenly slammed into Slade's shoulder. The Omega grunted and staggered, reaching behind himself to put the dart free, turning to glare at Al Sayf who, now standing, gave the Omega a cheeky grin.

"What," Al Sayf asked. "You didn't see that coming?"

Slade snarled but the sound was weak, more a gurgle, and his eye rolled back in his head before he dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

Oliver let out a sharp cry, pulling free of those holding him, barely catching Slade as he fell.

"He wasn't going to hurt me," he growled, carefully lowering Slade to floor.

"Perhaps not, Al Sa-him," Al Sayf said, slowly kneeling, putting himself at eye level with Oliver. "But he is dangerous. He must either be contained or..."

"We're not killing him!"

Oliver surged to his feet, spinning to face his mate, chin titled upwards, hands clenched tightly at his sides.

"I am Al Sa-him," he rumbled, fierce and bold and daring. "Habib al Ghul. My word is law. No one among the League, nor among our allies, shall harm Slade Wilson."

Ra's gave him a curious look. 

"Your word is not beyond my contestation, _habib_."

"You will not deny me this."

Ra's regarded him for a moment. "Oliver..."

"Because if you kill him or allow him to be killed," Oliver continued, meeting his mate's gaze with a fiery look. "I swear I will run again. And this time not even your best hunters will find me. I will abandon you. Forever."

Ra's stared at him for the longest time and Oliver all but held his breath even as his gaze dared his mate to deny him this. Because he was not bluffing. If Ra's killed Slade or ordered the elder Omega's death then he would run. And this time he would disappear completely. He would never return home. He would abandon everything and everyone he loved. He would not stay with his Alpha if the man could not show mercy to a someone who so clearly needed help.

"And how would you propose we help him, _habib_ ," Ra's asked after several tense moments of silence.

Oliver finally drew a shallow breath.

"The Lazarus Pit."


	35. Chapter 35

Ra's stared at his mate in silence for a long, tense moment.

Part of him wanted to simply agree, to give his mate what he wanted, but he knew he couldn't. To continue to give into Oliver's whims would make him appear weak. Not only to his men but to their allies. To their enemies. He could not afford that. No matter how much he might want to just to keep the peace with Oliver.

Drawing a slow breath he made his decision, knowing what it would likely cost him, and slowly shook his head.

"I am sorry, my love," he said. "But I cannot allow it."

Oliver blinked. "You..."

"This man is dangerous. Extremely so. I will not take the chance that the Lazarus Pit will only enhance whatever insanity he currently suffers from."

He saw the disbelieve flicker across his mate's face, felt his confusion, his anger and hurt. Oliver had believed he would listen to him. That he would show mercy as he had with Sara Lance. But this was different. Miss Lance's intentions had not been truly malicious. Not where it concerned Oliver. But the same could not be said of Slade Wilson. It was clear the man had been broken by the loss of his mate and the madness brought about by the Mirakuru. He was a threat not only to this city and the people here but the world. Part of Ra's' duty as leader of the League was to maintain balance in the world. Slade Wilson disrupted that balance.

"I am sorry, _habib_ ," Ra's said, shaking his head again. "This is not something I can permit."

Tension filled the room then as the members of the League present looked back and forth between Oliver and Ra's. They were, both men knew, waiting for the fallout. For Oliver to do something rash. Like grab Slade and try to flee. They did not wish to fight their brother, their friend, but they would heed their master's command above his mate's.

Ra's kept expecting Oliver to slam the bond between them shut.

Kept expecting his mate to shut him out again.

To continue to fight for this lost cause.

But Oliver surprised him.

His mate did not do as he expected.

Instead his shoulders slumped, a look of defeat crossing his face as he looked around the room, knowing he did not have an ally in this, and Ra's felt that sense of defeat trickle through the bond despite Oliver trying hard to keep it from him. It left a bitter taste in the Alpha's mouth. He wanted to reach out, to comfort, to reassure his mate that this decision was best for all. But he knew such a gesture would not be welcomed. Not at that moment. When Oliver loved, he knew, his mate loved deeply. Even when it was a brotherly love. Whatever ties he still had to Slade ran deep. Despite all that the elder Omega had said and done.

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment before slowly drawing a deep breath, opening his eyes once more, looking down at Slade and it was impossible to say what the Omega saw when he looked at the unconscious man. But when his gaze swung to Ra's again the Alpha saw only hurt.

"I don't agree with this," Oliver said softly, hands still tightly clenched at his sides. "Killing a man who needs help isn't...isn't justice. Isn't maintaining order and balance." He drew another shaky breath. "But I don't have to stand here and watch you kill a man who once saved my life."

Without another word Oliver slowly made his way back to the bedroom where he had been when Ra's first arrived.

Chase, hating to see Oliver in such a state, moved to follow, to try and offer comfort to the man he viewed as a father figure, but Oliver shook his head, causing the young Alpha to fall still once more, watching Oliver close the bedroom door behind him quietly.

It was not the reaction Ra's had expected.

He had thought Oliver would argue, would continue to stand in his way, would defend Slade until he was forced to step aside.

Staring at the now closed door Ra's debated what to do.

Everything in him was screaming at him to go to his mate.

That Oliver needed him.

But he was not yet done with Slade Wilson. His men were waiting for an order, a decision, on the man's fate.

"What if there is another option?"

Ra's' head turned, gaze fixing on Al Sayf, still kneeling next to Slade, the elder Alpha watching him in an almost bored, yet curious, manner.

"What option would you suggest?"

"A cure." Al Sayf shrugged slightly as he said it. As though it should have been obvious. "For the Mirakuru."

Ra's blinked and a soft murmur passed through all present, all watching the two men, watching and waiting to see what would come of this conversation.

"There is no cure."

Al Sayf gave a faint nod. "Not yet," he said as he carefully lifted Slade, laying him to rest on the couch. "But what if there was? What if the madness caused by this serum could be mitigated?"

"You speak of uncertainties," Ra's rumbled softly. "There is no guarantee such a cure could even be created let alone that it would work."

Al Sayf stood to his full height. "There is much science can do now that was not possible before," the Alpha pointed out with a shrug. "The right laboratory and scientists _may_ be able to cure him. It would give Al Sa-him the peace he seeks when it comes to Wilson."

"This man is dangerous, Al Sayf, Mirakuru or no Mirakuru."

"I agree," Al Sayf nodded. "But I also agree with Al Sa-him that his madness is an illness. And do we not seek to heal illness? Not simply exterminate it?"

The two Alphas locked gazes and the tension in the room intensified for a long moment.

Ra's could not afford to be seen as weak but he also knew that Al Sayf spoke truth.

If there was a chance to cure Slade Wilson of the Mirakuru corrupting his mind, a chance to strip away some of the madness, to save the man Oliver had once known, was it not worth the risk?

He thought of a lesson his father, centuries dead, had once sought to teach him.

_Save one life and you save the world entire._

Drawing a deep breath the Demon's Head gave the faintest of nods.

"You have twenty-four hours to find something, or someone, capable of creating this _cure_ of yours. If, at the end of this time, you cannot produce something to change my mind then Slade Wilson will be executed."

Al Sayf nodded and, without another word, turned and left the safe house. Disappearing to who knew where in search of his solution to this mess.

Ra's sighed and looked at his men, ordering them to keep Slade sedated, it was the safest route to take, before he turned and made his way to the bedroom where his mate was.

He entered the room quietly, the door closing behind him with the softest snick of the latch, and he wasn't surprised to find Oliver sitting on the bed, looking dejected and hurting. It broke Ra's' heart to know he was responsible for that.

" _Habib_ ," the Alpha spoke softly as he made his way towards the bed. He wasn't surprised that Oliver didn't lift his head. Didn't acknowledge him. His mate was still so young in many ways. "It may please you to know that Slade Wilson still breaths."

That, at least, drew a reaction.

Oliver lifted his head and stared at him.

But he still didn't speak.

Ra's sighed softly.

"Al Sayf has suggested a solution, the possibility of a cure." Ra's saw the hope, felt it flare in his mate, but Oliver was quick to tramp it down, clearly afraid of trusting to hope and having it fail him. Again. "I have given him twenty-four hours to find something of use."

Oliver did not ask what would happen if Al Sayf was unable to do so.

Ra's waited for a moment, waited for his mate to speak, but still the Omega remained silent, waiting, and the Alpha sighed softly once more.

"We need to talk, _habib_ ," the Alpha said as he took another step forward. "About...this...about us."

Oliver stiffened visibly and Ra's felt, through their bond, his mate withdraw slightly. The Omega's head dropping again and, if possible, his shoulders slumping further.

Ra's let out a soft sound and immediately reached out to cup his mate's chin in his hand, lifting the Omega's head gently, forcing the younger man to meet his gaze once more. If only for a moment before those beautiful eyes flickered downwards and away.

"Oh, my love," the Alpha murmured, running his fingers lightly through Oliver's hair. "I did not make my decision to hurt you." He wanted Oliver to look at him again but the Omega's gaze remained fixed on the floor. But he felt the subtle, barely there, flinch that rolled through his mate. "I know you see the danger, the threat, Slade Wilson poses not only to you but to the world. I cannot ignore this simply to make you happy."

Oliver remained silent.

It would have seemed petulant if Ra's had not known his mate so well.

Often Oliver's silence spoke more than the Omega's words ever would.

In that moment it told Ra's that his mate knew and accepted what he was saying, even if he did not want to agree with it, even if he was still hoping his friend, or whatever Slade Wilson might be classed, could still be saved.

"But more than this...issue...we must address the fact that, as of late, you seem to take pride in defying me at every turn."

Oliver stiffened and Ra's let out a low sound, trying to comfort, to reassure his mate, but it did not appear to work.

"I know you do not do it out of malice or out of...some need to diminish my authority but you cannot make one claim only to make another later when it suits you. Either you are of the League or you are not." Ra's' voice was firm, commanding, every bit the Alpha he was and, despite the flicker of defiance that danced across his face, Oliver remained silent. "You _cannot_ have it both ways, _habib_. You _cannot_ just abandon the League and then use it as a weapon whenever it suits you. I will permit you much, perhaps far more than I should, but I will not permit that. Not now. Not ever."

"I know," Oliver whispered softly, though he still didn't look at Ra's. "I just..." He drew a shallow breath. "I never meant it to seem...I just wanted...he's...he was my _friend_. My brother. My..." 

Oliver seemed to bite back whatever he had been about to say but Ra's suspected the word was _lover_. It would be a lie to claim it did not make him jealous. But he knew whatever the two had shared had ended long ago. That whatever love Oliver still harboured for the man was not the same love that Oliver had for him. Drawing a deep breath he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Oliver's forehead.

"That you fight so adamantly for those you care for is one of the reasons I love you so deeply, _habib_ , and would that I could give you your every whim and desire, but that is not the world we live in. It is not the world you chose when you accepted my offer to bond."

Oliver nodded slowly. "I know, and I..." He looked up at Ra's, finally, their gazes locking. "I don't want you to doubt that I love you, that I will always love you, but sometimes I...I can't let go of the person I was...before..." He shook his head suddenly. "I'm sorry...that's...I shouldn't have said..." He drew a shallow breath. "I didn't mean to undermine your authority or...or make you appear weak...or...that you can't control your Omega...I just...I..."

Ra's shook his head.

"I do not wish to control you," the Alpha rumbled faintly. "Doing so would be as futile as trying to control the weather or the sun. But I cannot permit you to continue to, as you said, undermine my position as Demon's Head." His thumb swept gently over Oliver's cheek. The stubble rough beneath his touch. "You keep trying to be Oliver Queen and yet at the same time try to be Al Sa-him." Ra's shook his head. "A man cannot live by two names, _habib_."

Oliver nodded, remembering his mate telling him that years ago, when he had first come to the League. It was a lesson all initiates were meant to learn. To understand. Before they became true members of the League. Their old lives ended the moment thye took their new name. The moment they swore their vow. But he had been released. His vow no longer held. And yet he could not shake the years of being Al Sa-him. Just as, when he had been not but Al Sa-him, he had not been able to cast off his past as Oliver Queen. He could not be one or the other because to be Oliver Queen meant sacrificing the man he had become and being only Al Sa-him meant forgetting all he had endured to become that man.

"I..." Oliver closed his eyes for a moment. "I can't go back to being Oliver Queen," he whispered as he slowly opened his eyes. "But...But I can't step back into the darkness that is Al Sa-him. I...I'm lost...I..."

Ra's rumbled faintly, feeling his mate's distress, and he leaned down to press his forehead to Oliver's. "Oliver..."

"I feel like...like I'm in that damn...life boat...on that...on that godforsaken island...all over again." Oliver pulled away from Ra's, as though he couldn't handle the gentle, or comforting touch of his mate any longer. "Every choice I make...every which way I turn...is wrong and...every time I try to fix things I...I just make it worse."

" _Habib_ ," Ra's started to reach for Oliver but the Omega surged to his feet, a tiger caught in a cage, wild and agitated and needing to pace. So the Alpha let his mate pace.

"I'm trying to save the life of a man who...who saved mine. So many times over that I can't even begin to count them all." Oliver paced, back and forth, body tensing and relaxing in such rapid succession that it was a miracle his knees didn't lock up and send him crashing to the floor. "And...And I decide the best way to do that is...is to threaten the man I love more than...more than life itself." The Omega shook his head. "What...I mean..." He growled faintly. "How does that help anything?! How does it help Slade?!"

Ra's took a small step towards Oliver, wanting to reach out, to pull his mate to him, but Oliver’s body language told the Alpha that it would not be a welcomed gesture and, despite his instincts telling him his mate needed him, Ra’s was wise enough not to try and engage the Omega in that moment. He had made that mistake before. Instead he thought that perhaps talking might be the best course to talk.

“Oliver…”

But Oliver either didn’t hear him or just ignored him because the Omega continued speaking as though Ra’s hadn’t even opened his mouth.

“I keep trying to be better than the…the spoiled, rich…arrogant son of a bitch that I was before the island and I…I even screw that up!”

Oliver shook his head and rumbled faintly.

“I can’t…I can’t keep doing _this_!”

“Is that why you were so willing to die tonight? And the day Nyssa took your mother?”

Ra’s blinked.

He hadn’t meant to ask that.

He knew they were not yet ready to broach that subject.

He watched as Oliver stilled, back to him, hands suddenly loose at his sides, though his fingers kept twitching.

Ra’s took a hesitant step towards his mate. “Oliver…” He spoke softly, gently, reaching his hand out towards Oliver. “Oliver, I…I did not mean to sound…”

Oliver snarled and whirled around.

“I was so willing to die because I thought that maybe, just fucking maybe, my death might mean something!” Oliver’s shout seemed so very loud, his voice bouncing off the walls and Ra’s was certain the others in the other room had heard him. “I thought by dying I’d be saving people I cared about! That I’d be making a difference I seem to keep failing to make!”

Oliver lashed out suddenly, his fist slamming into the nearest thing, the smooth surface of the mirror hanging on the wall. The glass shattered, raining pieces down to the floor, shards embedding in Oliver’s flesh, blood oozing forth.

Ra’s felt as though he’d been kicked in the chest.

He couldn’t seem to breathe properly. His heart felt trapped in a vice.

The door to the room suddenly opened and Chase appeared.

"Master, we heard..."

"Out, boy!" Ra's hadn't meant to snarl so harshly but this was not something that his men, no matter how well meaning they were, needed to be part of.

Chase, properly chastised, immediately, and swiftly, ducked back out of the room, the door closing with a loud thumb behind him.

Oliver growled faintly, hand clenched, blood dripping from between his fingers to fall to the floor. And Ra's took a small step forward, feeling the phantom ache of his mate's injury in his own hand.

“Oliver… _habib_ …you _have_ made a difference. To the world. To so many lives.”

Oliver shook his head.

“All I keep doing is…”

“Who rescued Chase from a life that would have certainly ended in death? Who drew Al Sayf, the most reclusive man the world has ever known, from his darkness and misery? Who stood alone in defence of innocent women and children against a warlord? Inspiring them to rise up and fight back rather than simply laying down and die?”

Ra’s took a step towards Oliver.

“You have touched the lives of many, my love, and those lives are better for it. Mine included.”

He reached out and took Oliver’s hand in his, turning it, running his fingers over the palm.

“These hands have struggled, have killed, to survive. They have born burdens others can never possibly begin to imagine. But they have also cradled a frightened boy, soothing away hurts and nightmares. They have helped build homes and a life for those most in need.” 

Ra’s smiled slightly as he drew a cloth from his pocket, carefully wrapping it around his mate’s injured hand. 

“You have done much, _habib_ , in the name of one thing or another but the strongest thing I have seen you do, the bravest thing, is standing up every time you fall. You have a conviction I have never before seen.

"You are, by far, one of the strongest people I have ever met, _habib_. You are not only Oliver Queen or Al Sa-him. They have been, and always shall be, the same man. Two halves of a greater whole."

Ra's leaned up to brush a soft kiss to Oliver's lips, causing his mate to let out a soft whine. Drawing back he met his Oliver's gaze again.

"You long for things that you already possess, _habib_ ," the Alpha pressed on, stepping a little closer to his mate, letting his love and admiration and every other positive emotion Oliver brought out in him pass through their bond. In response Oliver whined again and reflexively leaned closer. "You need only to accept that."

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment, tears escaping them, gliding silently down his cheek.

Ra's expected another outburst or perhaps another selfdegrading remark.

But as his mate's eyes slowly opened the Omega's words were not what the Alpha had expected.

"My hand hurts," Oliver barely whispered, fingers flexing slightly in Ra's grasp. "Should get...get the first aid kit."

Ra's knew there was still much for them to discuss. But he was willing to give Oliver a little more time. Nodding his head he led the way from the room, not surprised to find Chase already waiting with the kit, his blue eyes fixing on Oliver's hand the moment the Omega stepped away from the Demon's Head. Oliver started to reach for the first aid kit but Chase shook his head, catching hold of Oliver's elbow, gently guiding him to towards the kitchen table, getting him to sit without much trouble.

Ra's watched, amused, as Oliver allowed the young Alpha to tend to his hand even though they all knew that the Omega was more than capable of doing it himself.

The pair whispered softly to one another, their voices too soft for anyone else to hear what they were saying, but Ra's saw the way Oliver smiled when Chase said something to him, that smile giving way to a soft chuckle even as Oliver leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Chase's as he replied to whatever the young Alpha had said.

Drawing a deep breath Ra's moved to speak with two of the men who had accompanied him from Nanda Parbat. A plan needed to be made concerning Slade Wilson because, despite Oliver's hopes and Al Sayf's intention to find a cure, it was very likely that the Australian Omega would not be leaving the safe house alive.


	36. Chapter 36

Oliver sat at the kitchen table with Chase for a long while after the young Alpha had tended to and bandaged his hand. Their hands rested on the table, fingers tangled, reminding Oliver of the nights, many and long, after he had first found Chase and brought him home. His mind quickly turned to those memories.

_Oliver's first solo mission was, surprisingly, in the United States._

_He had been tasked with taking down a man named Allan Barrett, a human trafficker who was responsible for the abduction and death of the daughter a man who was allied to the League. A man who, because of his position in the world, had been unable to handle things himself. The man had, of course, gathered intelligence, proving his daughter had not been the first time. The law had been unable to touch Barrett but the League was beyond the law._

_Thanks to the intelligence gathered by their ally they had learned Barrett was a man of habit. He traveled the world, never in the same pattern, but every six months he circled back to property he owned in upstate New York._

_And so Oliver was sent to deal with Barrett._

_He was careful, tracked the private security patterns, learned Barrett's day to day routine, before finally making his move._

_It was late, long after a party Barrett had thrown had wrapped up, security laxer than usual and Oliver easily slipped into the mansion. Quiet as a shadow. Moving quickly, yet carefully, the hard earned lessons from the League ever present in his mind. Slipping down a hallway he moved towards the master bedroom, hearing Barrett moving around there, drawing a calming breath as he reached the partially open doorway, stepping to the side so as not to be seen._

_He had just reached for the knife on his belt when he heard a soft whimper followed by Barrett's mocking laugh._

_Barrett wasn't alone._

_That wasn't right._

_Barrett never kept company. Never._

_Peeking around the door Oliver felt his blood run cold even as his heart tried to climb into his throat._

_Barrett had someone, a blonde, tied face down to the bed, a whip in his hand, and even from where he stood Oliver could see the blood running down a pale back. Whoever Barrett had tied to his bed was young, Oliver could tell that too, and small. So very small. They whimpered and made a muffled sound. Gagged, Oliver surmised as his hand fell away from his knife, so no one could hear the screams._

_"I told you," Barrett suddenly growled. "To behave tonight but you just couldn't do it, could you, Chase? Couldn't be a good fucking boy." The whip sang through the air and a sharp, muffled cry filled the air after the sickening crack. "You brought this on yourself. Every single time, you little bitch."_

_Oliver barely suppressed his growl and, without truly thinking about it, he moved. Entering the room like a shadow._

_Steps careful. All but silent. Unheard by the sick Beta before him._

_And without a sound he reached out, just as Barrett lifted his arm, about to lash out with the whip again, and snared Barrett in a tight hold. Barrett, of course, immediately struggled. But Oliver was bigger, stronger, and, with a well placed press of his arms and sharp twist, he snapped the trafficker's neck._

_It was not how he had planned to kill Barrett but, he supposed, he could use it to make the Beta's death look like an accident._

_Dropping Barrett's body he moved to the bed. The blonde, a young man from the look of it, whimpered and, when Oliver reached out to untie him, tried to shy away._

_"It's okay," Oliver whispered softly, voice muffled by the mask he wore. "It's okay, pup."_

_The boy, because there was certainly no way in all of creation that the blonde was yet out of his teens, looked up at him with wide, frightened blue eyes and, for a heart stopping moment, Oliver couldn't help but wonder if that's how he had looked at Slade that first day in the plane. The day Slade had threatened to slit his throat thinking he was one of Fyers' men._

_Drawing a deep breath Oliver slowly reached up and pulled his mask down, pushing his hood back, revealing his face to the boy._

_"It's okay," he said again, giving a soft, gentle sound. A rumble of comfort. "You're safe now, pup. You're safe. He can't hurt you anymore. I promise."_

_The boy whined, a high pitched distressed sound that made Oliver want to hold him and make all the pain and fear go away._

_He was surprised when the boy suddenly lunged forward, clearly not caring about the pain in his back, pressing in close, clinging to him, head tucked against Oliver's shoulder even as his body shook with sobs. Oliver carefully wrapped his arms around the boy, mindful of his injuries, and knew he wasn't leaving New York alone. This boy needed someone. Had clearly needed someone for a long time and society had failed him. Oliver wouldn't do that. Not now. Not ever._

"Ollie?"

Oliver blinked and the memory faded. He drew a shallow breath as he realized Chase was watching him, a hint of confusion shining in those deep blue eyes.

"I was just...just thinking of when we first met," he said softly, smiling slightly.

Chase chuckled. "You saved my life. Gave me a new one. Made me strong."

Oliver shook his head.

"You made you strong," he corrected gently. "I merely showed you a path."

Chase's smile was like the dawn. Bright and warm.

"I've missed you," the young Alpha whispered and Oliver felt tears prickle his eyes before he leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Chase's, rumbling faintly.

"And I missed you," he whispered back as he slowly drew back. "I...I didn't mean to hurt you, pup. I just...I needed..."

"Time?" Chase offered the word and Oliver nodded slightly and Chase's smile widened a little bit. "You could have said that, you know? You scared a lot of us by just disappearing." He glanced, briefly, across the room to where Ra's was talking with the others. "And Master Ra's he...he wasn't the same without you. He missed you. A lot. A lot more than he'll probably ever admit."

Oliver looked at Ra's seeing how, despite talking with the others, the Alpha's gaze kept darting to him.

"I missed him too," Oliver admitted quietly. "It took seeing him again to realize just how much."

"So...you're coming home, right?"

Oliver didn't say anything for a long tense second and Chase let out a soft whine.

"But...But you have to! After all of...all of this...you and Master Ra's...you need each other and...and..."

"Chase!" Oliver reached up, cupping the young Alpha's cheek, causing him to fall silent, ignoring the looks the others, including Ra's sent their way. "I didn't say no."

"But you..."

"I hesitated, pup." Oliver swept his thumb over Chase's cheek in a gentle circle. "Because...Because I don't know."

"But..."

"Things aren't always black and white, pup."

Chase huffed out a breath.

"Is...Is it because of Wilson?"

"Partially," Oliver admitted. "But it's...it's also me. I just...I can't keep killing, Chase. It's like...like I'm chipping away at my soul a little more every time. Soon there won't be anything left of it."

Chase whined again, softer this time, and his grip on Oliver's hand tightened a fraction.

"I'll take your missions," the young Alpha said, eyes shining with his honesty. "You...Maybe you could train the new initiates. You were great with me and my group. You...You wouldn't have to..." He let out that whine again. "I can take your missions."

Oliver couldn't help but lean forward, wrapping his arm around Chase, nuzzling at the younger man's hair gently.

"You really are an angel, pup." He whispered and felt more than heard Chase's soft laugh. "We'll figure things out. I promise."

If there was one thing they both knew it was that when Oliver promised Chase something he always did everything in his power to keep that promise.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Al Sayf tracked Nyssa and her little blonde bird with surprising ease.

Clearly the Heir of the Demon felt no threat existed in Starling City and hadn't bothered to cover her tracks. Or she was becoming sloppy in the presence of the woman she clearly had feelings for. He knew Ra's had seen it as well. The affection, the budding love, Nyssa felt for Sara. Such a thing could, potentially, do more harm than good. Sara, wellbeing though she was, was not the sort of person who would be welcomed among the League. Such a life was not for her.

And, he was beginning to think, perhaps it had not been one for Oliver.

Shaking thoughts of his friend from his mind he prowled through the club, _Verdant_ it was called, surprised to find it empty of patrons. Perhaps the evening's events had convinced Sara to take the night. Or perhaps Nyssa had. Either way it was better. Fewer witnesses should he need to resort to actions rather than words. Another surprise was finding Sara and Nyssa standing by the bar with two people, a young woman and a young man. Their scents spoke of a pair of Betas and the young woman was holding a case of some sort.

"I...I don't understand, Sara," the young woman said, sounding genuinely confused. "You said...you had Felicity bring us the sample...you wanted the cure."

Cure?

What cure?

Al Sayf was a shadow, silent and watching.

Sara shook her head. "I want a cure for the men Slade's infected with the Mirakuru. I don't want to cure Slade himself."

"Sara," Nyssa sounded almost reproachful. "Oliver would want to..."

"Oliver's blinded by whatever love he still harbours for Slade," Sara snorted and shook her head. "No. We use the cure on the men Slade's been amassing as an army. On Roy. Before this all boils over into some...some sort of war."

Al Sayf rumbled faintly.

So it was a cure for the Mirakuru.

Clearly Sara hadn't spoken to Oliver of this or else the Omega would have made mention of it rather then express interest in using the Lazarus Pit.

"But, Sara," the young male Beta spoke, sounding both afraid and confused. "This...This would mean this Slade Wilson guy could be...oh...I don't know...actually locked up. He could go to prison."

Again Sara snorted.

"I don't want him locked up. I want him dead." She shook her head. "He's a threat. A global threat. He needs to be stopped before he does any more harm to anyone."

"Sara," Nyssa spoke again. "I know you fear for your city and your family but killing a man..."

"He's done more than enough to warrant dying."

Al Sayf had heard enough.

Moving quickly he emerged from the shadows.

"I wonder what exactly Al Sa-him sees in you," he rumbled, causing everyone to jump and look at him in surprise.

"Al Sayf," Nyssa growled his name, putting herself, subtly, between him and Sara.

"Oh do relax, child," he said with a shake of his head. "I've no interest in your little bird."

"Then why are you here," Nyssa growled darkly and Al Sayf merely looked annoyed at the sound.

"I'm here for that." He gestured to the container holding the cure and the female Beta let out a squeak before taking a slight step back. "Not all of it, mind you. Just enough to cure one man."

Sara growled and stepped around Nyssa, either brave or stupid, Al Sayf was not quite certain.

"Over my dead body," Sara's eyes blazed and Al Sayf's hand fell to the hidden dagger on his belt.

"I can arrange that, girl," he said, smiling almost smugly. "Though I'd prefer to avoid shedding your blood. Ra's al Ghul has, after all, granted you mercy. And it would upset Al Sa-him."

"You arrogant..."

"Stop it!" The female Beta shouted, causing both Sara and Al Sayf to fall silent. "Just...Just stop it!"

The woman opened the container and withdrew a vial before passing the container to her companion who let out a frightened whimper.

"Here," the woman said, stepping towards Al Sayf on shaking legs. "I...I don't know what's going on or...or what Sara's thinking..." She shot Sara a sharp look. "But when I created this it...it was under the belief that I was going to be curing people...helping rid them of...of whatever the Mirakuru does to them."

"Caitlin, don't," Sara started but Al Sayf snarled at her, fingers curling tightly around the hilt of his knife.

"This is _her_ decision, little bird," he growled, gaze daring Sara to try and stop the woman again. "You will not interfere or I will forget that my Master has granted mercy unto you tonight."

Nyssa growled and, again, put herself between Al Sayf and Sara, hissing something to the blonde woman even as the Beta, Caitlin, handed over the vial.

"It...It should work almost immediately," Caitlin said as she stepped back, her companion grabbing her arm, tugging her to his side and, while both smelled of fear, Al Sayf saw the fire in the male Beta's eyes.

Al Sayf nodded and turned to leave, pausing only when Nyssa said his name. He glanced, briefly, over his shoulder at the Heir of the Demon.

"You know, even cured, my father will not let Slade Wilson live."

With a huff of breath he turned back around and continued walking. Three simple words his only reply.

"We shall see."


	37. Chapter 37

Nyssa waited until Sara's friends, the scientists, left before she approached the blonde, who was looking at the vials of cure the pair had left behind.

"Do you always play God or is this merely a special case?"

Sara blinked and looked at her.

"What?"

"Choosing who receives this cure or not," Nyssa said as she folded her arms over her chest, fixing Sara with a cool stare. "Choosing not to tell Oliver of it when you knew he would want to use it on Slade Wilson, something that, very well, could have prevented what transpired tonight."

"You don't know it would have."

"Just as you do not know it would not have."

Sara looked down and away then and Nyssa sighed softly.

"I understand you are angry," the Heir of the Demon said. "And frightened for those who you love. But Sara...this...this is not right."

Sara rumbled faintly.

"This is the only way."

"You know it is not."

Sara shook her head. "I don't...I don't have Ollie's faith that people can change." She looked again at Nyssa. "I've seen too much...I know better."

"People _do_ change, Sara." Nyssa's arms slowly unfolded and she reached out to lightly touch the blonde's arm. "I have seen proof of it. In many souls."

"Slade won't change. He's incapable of it."

It was Nyssa's turn to shake her head.

"How can you know that if you do not give him the chance to try?"

Sara said nothing for a while, her entire body was stiff, gaze suddenly flicking downwards, fixing on the case of cure.

"Even if they cure Slade," Sara said softly, slowly looking at Nyssa again. "Even if...if he changes...it doesn't erase what he's done."

"No." Nyssa agreed. "It doesn't. But does he not deserve the chance to earn forgiveness? The chance to, in some way, right the wrongs he has committed? You and Oliver both gained such chances after falling to your own darkness. Why should it be any different for Slade Wilson?"

The Heir of the Demon reached out, lightly tucking Sara's hair behind her ear, giving the tiniest of smiles.

"I know he has wronged you, has threatened all you hold dear," Nyssa said softly as Sara looked at her again, their gazes locking. "But, Sara, forgiveness is not for the other person. It is for you. For your own pain. Your own wounds. You cannot truly heal until you let go of the pain and the hate that are still causing you such suffering."

Sara let out a low sound, not quite a whine but close, and she leaned into Nyssa's touch.

"I..." She let out that sound again. "I don't know how..."

Nyssa's hand moved, cupping Sara's cheek, and she gave the blonde a gentle, tender smile.

"Then let me help you."

Tears shone in Sara's eyes and Nyssa moved, embracing the blonde, holding her close, even as Sara all but clung to her.

In that moment she wondered if this feeling, this need to protect and love and help, was what her father had felt when he had first developed feelings for Oliver.

She had just turned her head to nuzzle at Sara's hair when a door banged open, causing her to snarl and whirl, putting herself protectively between Sara and the intruder.

An echoing snarl, fiercer than she expected, bubbled from the young woman standing a scant few feet away.

"Thea," Sara said the name and Nyssa relaxed, though only slightly. Thea. Oliver's sister.

Thea, however, rumbled darkly.

"I just got a call from Laurel," Thea growled as she prowled forward. "Where the _hell_ is my brother?!"

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Oliver sat with Chase for nearly an hour, quietly talking, before something, some feeling, drove him to start prowling through the apartment. His hands twitched at his sides and, despite reassuring Chase, who shadowed his every step, that he was fine, he couldn't shake the jittery feeling running up and down his spine. He had just started to prowl back towards the kitchen, ignoring the look Talibah shoot his way, only to still when one of Ra's guard, an Omega older than Oliver, older perhaps than ever Slade, stepped closer to Ra's, saying something Oliver didn't catch.

The sudden angry growl that bubbled up from Oliver's chest caused everyone to stop and look at him.

"Ollie?" Chase sounded shocked and as his hand lightly brushed against Oliver's shoulder he growled again, gaze fixed on the other Omega who slowly began to move back, putting distance between himself and Ra's.

"Al Sa-him," Talibah started to step towards him but Oliver growled again, the sound full of warning, before he seemed to realize what he was doing and blinked, owlishly, before looking around at the faces of the people he considered friends and family.

"I...I didn't..." He shook his head. "I didn't mean..."

Ra's suddenly crossed the distance between them, even as Talibah caught Chase's arm, tugging him away, though he protested slightly, and when the elder Alpha's scent washed over his senses Oliver couldn't help the soft whimper that passed his lips even as he leaned in towards Ra's. It took him several minutes, long drug out heartbeats, before he realized what was happening. Why he was acting so strangely. 

He was in the beginning throes of Heat. 

Something he hadn't experienced in nearly a year.

He let out a low huff of breath before taking a step towards the bedroom where he had first woken. It would be a few hours before his Heat fully set in but he also knew the misery those hours would be. A shiver rolled down his spine as Ra's gave him a knowing look. His Alpha knew. Knew he was going into Heat. It was both a thrilling and frightening thing. Another shiver rolled down his spine and he took another step back.

"I..." He had no idea what he meant to say but the apartment door suddenly opened and Al Sayf entered.

The man's nose wrinkled, clearly having caught Oliver's scent, the early Heat pheromones beginning to waft off of the Omega, as he closed the door.

"You've returned quickly," Ra's said as he slowly moved, putting himself, perhaps not consciously, between Oliver and the other Alpha.

Al Sayf smirked. "Because I found what I was looking for," he said as he held up the vial of cure. "It would seem Sara Lance has not been fully forthcoming with Al Sa-him."

Oliver frowned. "What?"

"It is a cure," Al Sayf said as he met Oliver's gaze. "One she had created by people she, or someone close to her, knows well."

Oliver rumbled faintly. It had to be the team from STAR Labs. He remembered Felicity mentioning them once. How the people there were helping a friend, Barry, after he'd been struck by lightning. Oliver hadn't met the man himself but he'd been able to tell, from the way Felicity had spoken of him, that he was special to her. He couldn't say he was surprised Sara had turned to STAR Labs for help. It was a logical thing to do. What he was surprised by was her holding back that information.

"Will it work," he asked softly. "Will it...Will it cure the Mirakuru?"

Al Sayf nodded. "The woman who created it believes so." He drew an empty needle from one of the pouches on his belt. "But there is only one way to know for certain."

The Alpha looked at Ra's, who nodded, before he drew enough of the cure from the vial into the needle and crossed the room to where Slade was still laid out on the couch. He stopped only when Sayad stepped forward, extending his hand. It took him only a moment to hand over the needle remembering the man's profession as a doctor before he became a member of the League.

Oliver watched, not truly daring to hope but unable to keep the small trickle of it from his being, as Sayad knelt by the couch, carefully injecting the cure into a vein in Slade's arm.

"How long will it take to work," Sayad asked as he straightened, looking at Al Sayf.

"The woman said it should work immediately."

Ra's regarded Slade's unconscious face for a moment.

"We will not know until he awakens from the venom," the Demon's Head rumbled before looking at Oliver. "In the meantime, _habib_ , I believe we should..."

Before Ra's could finish speaking Slade let out a snarling gasp as he bolted upright, practically falling off the couch, eyes wide as his body clearly spasmed, the cure ridding him of the Mirakuru.

Oliver moved before anyone, especially his mate, could stop him, catching hold of Slade as the older Omega slumped to one side, gasping for breath.

"Hey," he said softly, grip gently yet strong, against Slade's shoulders. "Hey, it's okay, Slade. It's okay. You're okay."

Slade let out a low sound as he finally lifted his head, gaze groggily fixing on Oliver's face.

"Kid?" The older Omega let out a groan and squeezed his eyes shut as he shook his head, clearly trying to clear it of whatever lingering fog was still there. "What...What the hell..."

"It's alright," Oliver said softly even as he heard Ra's rumble faintly. "It's probably just the cure."

"Cure?" Slade blinked and met Oliver's gaze again before his hands flexed, as though testing his strength, rumbling faintly to find it diminished from what it had been for the last several years. "You...How..."

"Sara had a friend work up the cure." Oliver knew Ra's was still likely going to order Slade's death but he felt the man deserved the truth. After all lying to Slade in the first place was what had gotten them all into this mess now. "She...She wasn't going to tell me...or probably let me use it on you but...but Al Sayf got a vial of it."

"You think...You think this...changes anything?" Slade rumbled faintly and Oliver huffed.

"Why can't it?"

Slade rumbled again. "You know why, kid. Lance...she has to..."

"Has to what? Pay?" Oliver shook his head before leaning forward, pressing his forehead to Slade's knowing there was likely only one way he could get through to the older Omega. "You...You promised Shado you'd always look out for me, right? Promised to protect me?"

Slade slowly nodded and Oliver gave a small, barely there smile.

"If you continue on this path...this path of vengeance...you're just putting me in harms way because...because I'm never going to stop putting myself between you and the people you target. I'm always going to try and talk you down from this...this ledge you're insistent on dancing on." His smile widened slightly. "You're still my friend, Slade. My brother. Let me help you."

Slade stared at him, silent, for a long moment before he let out a soft rumble.

"I don't think you mate is keen on that idea," the older Omega said as he glanced passed Oliver to Ra's. "Are you, buddy?"

Ra's let out a soft sound as he took a step forward.

"Though it is clear you care for Oliver," Ra's said firmly. "You are still a danger. Even cured."

Slade gave a cutting smile. "So that's a yes to the death sentence still being on the table then."

"I have no guarantee that you will not simply carry on your destructive plans even now," Ra's replied. "Your word...would not be enough to secure that belief."

"What would be," Oliver asked as he straightened, turning to face his mate even as a fresh surge of pheromones wafted from him, causing everyone, Ra's included, to shudder slightly. "What would be enough to spare his life?"

Oliver knew he was grasping at straws. Knew Ra's could just as easily tell him that there was nothing to be done. That, despite being cured, he was still going to order Slade's death.

But he was surprised by what his mate said after a few minutes of careful consideration.

"An oath," the Alpha said, meeting Slade's dark gaze. "To the League, to me, swearing fealty. And a Bonding to a member of the League whom I can trust to always be faithful and will keep you in line should you overstep."

Oliver blinked but it was Slade who spoke.

"Which one of your foolish little minions would be willing, or stupid enough, to tie themselves to me given you don't think I can be trusted without all this fanfare?"

Oliver opened his mouth but a voice, quiet and young, spoke from his right.

"I'll do it."

Oliver whirled around to face Chase, eyes wide in shock, even as everyone else looked at him like he'd suddenly lost his mind. The young Alpha shuffled his feet slightly before tilting his chin up, his eyes blazing with his conviction.

"I'll do it," Chase said again and, in response, Slade rumbled before letting out a bark of harsh laughter.

"And I'm royally fucked."


	38. Chapter 38

Chaos, or near enough, broke out in the room.

People, Talibah and Sayad mostly, snarled at Chase, telling him not to be stupid, while Ra's two other guards snarled at Slade, who had started to stand, telling him to stay put or else they would make him stay put and Slade snarled in defiance of them. Al Sayf growled at Talibah and Sayad telling them that it was Chase's decision and to leave the pup alone. Meanwhile Ra's gave Oliver a look that, to Oliver at least, seemed like a parent trying to figure out how to corral his misbehaving children.

The Alpha had just started to draw a breath, no doubt to raise his voice to be heard over the din, but Oliver stuck his fingers in his mouth and let out an incredibly loud, and sharp, whistle.

Silence fell almost immediately.

Oliver drew a deep breath, chest heaving slightly, and shook his head.

"Alright," he growled faintly, looking from one person to the next. "Everybody needs to take a breath and chill out." He slowly looked at Chase. "You," he rumbled faintly. "Are going to stop for more than two seconds and _think_ about what you're actually offering to do. You're little more than a teenager. This...This isn't something you can just back out of once it's done, pup." His gaze swung next to Slade, who was surprisingly standing despite the earlier snarling of Ra's' men. "And you, tough guy," he snapped, not missing how Slade's eyebrow ticked upwards. "Are going to seriously weigh your options before you do anything. You've got a life or death choice and, personally, I'd rather see you take the life option but, by all means, throw away everything Shado and I wanted for you. Throw away the life we fought so hard to save."

Slade, for a moment at least, looked properly chastised.

But then his gaze somehow narrowed.

"That life was supposed to be the three of us," Slade rumbled darkly. "You, me and Shado." He shook his head. "Then...it was going to be you and me. It was _supposed_ to be you and me. When I saw you...that day in your mother's house...I thought...thought by some small grace of God I'd gotten a second chance...a chance to have the live we talked about. The life we wanted. Together. Even if we didn't have Shado we could have each other. Even with my plans for revenge...I still wanted those things. The family. The home. All with you. Only you."

Oliver heard Ra's dark growl, felt the Alpha's fury, but he kept his gaze on Slade even as he slowly nodded.

"I remember those plans, Slade. I remember the life we talked about. The one we dreamed about sharing. And I remember...I remember the _Amazo_. I remember all of your promises. I also remember you protecting me. Taking care of me." He reached out, taking the older Omega's hand, not surprised when Slade immediately laced their fingers together. "Even in your madness I knew you loved me. It...It was what gave me hope. Hope that the man I fell in love with was still in there somewhere." He smiled softly. "I still believe that man is in there. The man who taught me to survive. The man who showed me I could be more than just a spoiled, useless brat."

Slade looked doubtful and Oliver gave his hand a slight squeeze.

"I may not love you like I did before," the younger Omega continued, still smiling. "But that doesn't mean I stopped loving you at all, _tuakana_." 

Slade let out a soft, rumbling sound. Like the purr of a large cat. It was familiar and oddly comforting.

"You shouldn't say shit like that in front of your mate, kid," the older Omega said gruffly. "He already wants my head on a stick."

Oliver rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Ra's who, though glaring daggers at Slade, was doing a remarkable job at not actually trying to kill the man. With a soft sigh he let Ra's feel his emotions. Let his Alpha feel how deeply he loved him and how any love he felt for Slade was now platonic, was brotherly, and paled in comparison to the love he had for the Alpha. It seemed to help because Ra's' shoulders relaxed, slightly, though he did not stop glaring.

Slowly looking back at Slade he was surprised to find the older Omega regarding Chase.

"So are you going to think rationally about this," Oliver asked, drawing Slade's attention back to him. "Or do I have to tie you to the damn radiator until you're ready to be the rational man I know you are again?"

Slade huffed and leaned forward, cheek brushing lightly against Oliver's, their scents mingling and it took a second for Oliver to realize that Slade had just scent marked him. Something they hadn't done since Lian Yu. Since long before Oliver had injected the older Omega with the Mirakuru. It was, surprisingly, nice. Felt like finding something he hadn't realized had been missing.

Of course Slade's nose wrinkled and he faked a gag before, gently, shoving Oliver back a step.

"Uggh," the older Omega's nose wrinkled though his tone was teasing. "Forgot how much you stink when you're going into Heat."

Oliver snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Says the guy who once nearly got us caught by a bunch of mercenaries because he refused to acknowledge or admit he was going into Heat."

Slade growled but it was soft and not threatening.

"Go on, kid," Slade chuckled, shaking his head, moving towards the couch, slumping down onto it. "I'll sit here and behave myself while you take care of yourself."

Oliver frowned slightly. "Slade..."

Slade shook his head, leaning back on the couch, arms resting over the back of it, looking relaxed and yet ready for a brawl all at the same time. It was uncanny how wild the Omega could look when he wanted to. 

"We'll talk after," Slade said, looking almost bored. "I don't think your mate's buddies are likely to let me leave until he says so."

Ra's let out a soft rumble, growling out a command to his men in Arabic, who nodded, giving Slade sharp looks as they did so, making it clear his assessment had been right and they wouldn't be letting him out of the apartment until given the order by their master. Before Oliver could say anything Ra's caught his arm and tugged him towards the bedroom. Though, if he was honest, he didn't exactly resist.

The moment the door shut behind them Oliver was surprised when Ra's suddenly grabbed hold of him, holding him close, nose pressed against his neck, inhaling deeply even as a rumble echoed from his chest.

"Ra's..." Oliver squirmed slightly, stilling only when he realized that Ra's was scent marking him, trying to replace Slade's scent with his own.

It was natural, instinctive Alpha behaviour. Especially when said Alpha's mate was so close to going into Heat.

Oliver groaned softly, shivering as Ra's scent, those heady, powerful, Alpha pheromones, washed over him. His body's natural response was the sudden increase of his early Heat symptoms. Letting out a low sound Oliver couldn't help but thread his fingers through Ra's' hair, tugging gently, trying to hold his mate close even as the Alpha began mouthing at his neck, lips and tongue sucking and licking before he nipped gently at smooth skin, making Oliver squirm in his grasp.

Oliver let out a surprised squeak, which he would forever deny, when Ra's unexpectedly lifted him despite their differences in height and size, a rare demonstration of the Alpha's strength. The Alpha turned, walking them across the room, carrying Oliver to bed where he laid the younger man out, crawling over him before burying his nose in Oliver's throat.

A soft rumble echoed from the Alpha as he took Oliver's hands in his, lacing their fingers together, pinning them above the Omega's head.

"Finally," the Alpha growled. "You smell right again."

Oliver huffed, flexing his fingers against his mate's.

"You mean I smell like you."

Ra's rumbled again, lifting his head enough to look Oliver in the eye. "It's the same thing, _habib_."

Oliver rubbed his thumb against Ra's hand even as he felt the last of his early Heat symptoms fade away, the full Heat starting to settle in, and he whined softly. "Christ...you did...did this on purpose," he ground out, trying to glare at the Alpha but unable to really pull it off.

Ra's huffed and nuzzled at Oliver's neck, kissing his way up the column of skin and across the Omega's cheek. Stopping just short of his lips, which made Oliver whine and buck.

"Don't fucking tease," the Omega growled, trying again, and failing again, to glare at the Alpha. "Not now...please."

A fresh wave of pheromones poured off of Oliver's skin and Ra's growled in response.

"I should make you wait," Ra's growled as Oliver immediately spread his legs, letting the Alpha settle between them. "Punish you for running from me for damn near a year." He groaned as Oliver leaned up, lips finding the edge of his jaw, nibbling lightly, teasingly. "But I do not believe I have the patience for that."

"Thank fuck," Oliver groaned as Ra's released his hands, reaching down to slowly begin stripping him of his clothes, not stopping until his mate was completely naked beneath him.

"That does not mean," the Alpha leaned in to growl in Oliver's ear, voice pitched low, making his Omega shiver. "I'm not going to punish you in another way, _habib_."

Oliver couldn't help but moan as he reached for Ra's shirt, slowly tugging the fabric upwards, but it seemed his mate was more impatient that he'd thought because the Alpha straightened, balancing on his knees, practically ripping his shirt off over his head, before fumbling with his belt and pants. Once he was free of them, the clothes tossed somewhere far from the bed, the Alpha leaned back down in over his mate, capturing Oliver's lips in a fierce kiss.

The Omega's hands sank into the older man's hair and tugged slightly as their tongues tangled, the Alpha licking his way into Oliver's mouth, the kiss leaving them both breathless when they finally drew apart.

Oliver stared up at the Alpha, his mate, and felt his slick slide down his thigh, making him whimper softly.

"Ra's...please...please I..." He shivered again as more slick spilled from his body. "Please...been too long...need you to fuck me."

A fresh wave of pheromones wafted from Oliver, filling the air around them, making Ra's inhale deeply and growl faintly.

The scent, for Ra's at least, was sweet. Like caramelized honey and sugar. Inhaling deeper the Alpha rumbled and, in the span of a heartbeat, flipping Oliver onto his belly, hands running over his mate's sides, feeling the younger man quiver. Growling faintly Ra's leaned down, leaving gentle kisses and nips across the scar littered flesh of his mate's back. He continued down until he reached the soft globes of the Omega's ass, letting out a happy rumble, he cupped his hands there and slowly drew Oliver's cheeks apart, making the Omega gasp and writhe as another gush of clear, sweet smelling slick slowly dribbled from his hole.

With a primal growl Ra's ducked his head lapping lightly at the slick trickling down Oliver's thigh before pressing his tongue flat against the Omega's opening, tasting the slick and groaning faintly at the taste. There was nothing like the taste of his mate.

Oliver whimpered loudly, clutching the bed sheet so tightly his knuckles turned white, and he pushed his ass out, trying to push himself closer to that wickedly talented tongue even as Ra's gripped his hips tightly before delivering a sharp smack to the Omega's thigh, drawing back enough to growl out a sharp "Be still," before diving back in to lick at Oliver's hole again, making Oliver shake, and the Omega kept rolling his hips against his mate's face.

The Alpha growled again, working his tongue into Oliver's opening, listening to his _habib_ groan before he pressed the tips of two fingers to the Omega's soft and pliant opening. Oliver gasped and bucked slightly before moaning, loudly, and Ra's rumbled in delight, continuing to lick around his fingers even as he worked them in and out, sending jolts of pleasure through Oliver's entire body. When Oliver was nothing but a moaning, writhing mess Ra's slowly sat back, fingers still pumping in and out of his mate, watching as the Omega bit at the pillow beneath his head to keep from crying out again. Smirking to himself Ra's scissored his fingers, watching the way Oliver shook beneath him.

"Ra's..." Oliver cried out as the Alpha's fingers brushed against his prostate, causing what felt like an electric jolt through his entire body. "Please...stop teasing..." He turned his head enough to give his mate a heated look over his shoulder even as he snarled. "And fucking _fuck_ me already!"

"Soon, _habib_ ," Ra's growled in response. "Soon."

Oliver whined, loudly, pushing himself up, driving Ra's' fingers deeper as he wiggled into a near kneeling position, head turned, seeking out a kiss from his mate. A kiss Ra's eagerly gave. The Omega groaned at the taste of himself on his mate's tongue, at feeling the Alpha's hard cock against his back, and he rolled his hips, cock bobbing against his belly, drops of pre-cum dribbling from the head.

All but falling back to all fours Oliver tipped his ass upwards, the perfect Omega display, and gave his mate a look over his shoulder.

"Now," Oliver growled, hips waving back and forth, trying to entice his mate into finally giving him what they both clearly wanted. "Need it...want it..." He fluttered his eyelashes. "Need _you_."

Ra's eyes, already darkened by his desire, seemed to darken further and he quickly drew his fingers from the Omega, making Oliver groan, before the Alpha gripped his hips, drawing him closer, letting him feel the head of his cock as it rubbed, slippery from the Omega's slick, over his hole. Oliver whined as he tilted his hips, pushing back against his Alpha's cock, whining against as the head slowly pushed passed the slick, loosened ring of muscle.

As Ra's slowly pressed in, easing more and more of his cock into his mate, Oliver whimpered, shuddering, and closed his eyes as the nearest thing to bliss washed over him. It had been too long. Too long without his mate, his Alpha. Too long without this. Ra's let out a deep groan as he leaned over his mate, folding his chest against the Omega's strong back, mouthing at the pale skin of Oliver's shoulder before kissing his way to the mating mark that, normally, was hidden by Oliver's clothing.

Oliver stilled, shivering, as Ra's kissed at the mark, sending sparks of pleasure through him.

"Ra's," he gasped as his Alpha began to move his hips, rocking gently in and out of the Omega's body.

Oliver whimpered and mewled and blindly reached back to brush his fingers over Ra's thigh as the Alpha began to pick up speed. Growling softly Ra's snatched the Omega's hand in his, pinning it to the bed, lacing their fingers together.

Growling again the Alpha leaned in over his mate, capturing his lips in another blazing kiss as he set a near brutal pace without warning.

Oliver met each thrust eagerly, greedily, feeling wild and alive for the first time in ages and, when he felt the Alpha's knot beginning to swell, he tore his mouth away from Ra's, gasping, panting, turning his body somewhat, meeting his mate's lust filled gaze.

"Knot me," Oliver whispered against his Alpha's lips, feeling the older man shudder at the request. "I want you to knot me."

In a flash, Ra's flipped him over the rest of the way, resting Oliver on his back as strong hands flutter over the Omega’s firm and muscled belly. A low, possessive growl filled the air as the Alpha shoved himself back in, grinning wickedly as the motion caused the younger man to arch off the bed with a shout of joy. Wordlessly he lifted his mate's legs, coaxing Oliver to rest them over his shoulders. Once done, the Alpha leaned forward, all but folding Oliver in half beneath him before setting punishing rhythm once more.

Oliver cried out, loudly, happily, feeling his Alpha's knot swelling further, dragging inside of him perfectly, his cries ringing out like music to Ra's' ears.

"Come on," Oliver panted, looking up at Ra's through his lashes. "Come on...please...please, Ra's..."

Ra's snarled as his knot caught deep inside the Omega, reducing him to shallow rutting. He reached down, grasping Oliver's cock, pumping twice, three times, before Oliver threw his head back, all but screaming, as his orgasm tore through him. His cock jerked in Ra's' grasp, pearly white cum splattering over his belly and his Alpha's fingers even as his body clenched, greedily, around his mate's cock.

Ra's snarled, loudly, at the tight heat clenching around him, his hips jerking a handful of times before he fell over the edge he had been teetering on. His knot fully swelled, orgasm sending him spiraling into bliss even as he filled his mate up with his release. The primal part of him rumbled with the deep want of seeing his mate swell with his child. Their child. The mere thought of Oliver carrying their child caused his hips to jerk, short, jabbing thrusts into his mate, spurting more cum into the Omega. Each spurt made Oliver whine and rock up against the Alpha.

With a low groan, and another spurt of cum, Ra's slowly, carefully, lowered Oliver's legs, feeling the soft trembling, letting the Omega instead rest them comfortably along his sides, watching his Omega's chest heave as Oliver struggled to catch his breath, those beautiful blue eyes gazing up at him, slightly dazed, with love and a pleased smile plastered to his flushed, sweaty face. Ra's ran his hands gently over Oliver's body, leaning in to press soft, barely there kisses along the Omega's lips and cheeks.

"Are you alright, _habib_ ," the Alpha quietly rumbled, pressing a gentle, warm kiss to Oliver's lips.

Oliver huffed softly, reaching up to wrap his arms around Ra's, pulling him close, nodding even as he felt exhaustion start to wash over him. They'd be tied together until Ra's knot went down. And even then there was a good chance they wouldn't part for very long.

"I'm..." Oliver panted lightly. "I'm great. Better than great actually."

Ra's smiled, pressing more kisses, still soft and sweet, to Oliver's lips.

They settled together, comfortably, cuddling together, trading gentle kisses and touches before Oliver drifted off into a light doze, leaving Ra's to watch over his beloved mate. The Alpha kept nuzzling and kissing his mate's cheek and neck, mouthing lightly at the bond mark, truly content for the first time in nearly a year.


	39. Chapter 39

Slade slumped on the couch, arms stretched over the back, head tipped back, mind turning over the recent changes to his life. His plans. Everything he'd worked for, everything he'd been so certain he wanted, had all but been snuffed out simply because of one blonde, annoying pain in his ass that, no matter how hard he had tried, he couldn't stop loving.

Letting out a low puff of breath.

There were things that would need to be done.

Dogs that would need to be put down because, he knew, the minute they learned his plans, his fragile loyalties, had shifted they would turn on him without mercy. And, without the Mirakuru, it wasn't a battle he would likely walk away from. Not fully intact at least.

He started drumming his fingers on the back of the couch, calculating everything that would need to be done to clean up the mess he had made, when movement to his right caught his attention. Head rolling on his shoulder slightly he found himself watching as the pup, the one who'd offered to bond with him, fidgeted a few feet away. It wasn't clear what had the boy on edge but Slade was willing to bet it was the same thing that had everyone else on edge.

The walls of this place were not designed to be sound or scent proof.

There was no denying, or ignoring, what was happening in the other room.

The pup, though clearly trained, was not yet fully able to master his reactions to either.

He watched the little blonde twitch, his hands flicking almost absently at his sides even as his nostrils flared before he would shake his head and obviously try to distract himself.

When another sharp cry of pleasure echoed from the other room and the pup visibly jerked, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Slade let out a low sound and, after a quick glance at the others in the room, none of whom seemed very interested in the young Alpha's current state, perhaps they thought this was some sort of teaching moment, and with a low huff he looked again at the pup.

"What's your name, boy?"

His voice rumbled low, like distant thunder, and the boy's eyes slowly opened, revealing eyes so blue that, if Slade didn't know any better, would have made him think the pup was Oliver's child.

"Uh..." The boy blinked. "It's...It's Chase."

Slade regarded him for a moment. "How'd you come to be part of this..." He glanced at the assassins in the room then back to Chase. "Ragtag crew?"

He pretended not to hear the rumble from one of his little babysitters, focusing instead on Chase, who was clearly fighting back a grin, at least until Oliver decided to let out another howl from the other room, and then the young Alpha flinched. Slade rumbled again, trying to get the younger man to focus and, for the time being, it seemed to work. Chase looked at him, as though using him for an anchor, someway of distracting himself.

"Oliver saved my life," Chase said, answering Slade's question from moments earlier. "He...He took me in. Gave me a home." He glanced at his fellow assassins, smiling slightly. "A family." His bright blue gaze swung back to Slade. "It was more than I ever dared dream of."

Slade let out a soft huff of breath.

"You became an assassin out of love." 

It was probably one of the strangest things the Omega had ever heard and yet, just as strangely, it made perfect sense. People did crazy, impossible things for those they loved. After all hadn't he been willing to burn an entire city, and all in it, to the ground in the name of love? Well...love and vengeance but love was still there he supposed.

Chase let out a low sound, something like a rumble but not quite, and his gaze narrowed.

"It might sound stupid to you," the young Alpha growled faintly. "But..."

"Kid, I threatened to burn this fucking city to the ground in Oliver's memory...albeit became a little moot since...well...he's obviously alive but still. I think I've got the market cornered on stupid."

He watched that scowl slowly give way to a grin and those steely eyes warmed and he was surprised at how cute he found the pup looked with his big blue eyes and floppy blonde hair.

_You so have a type,_ a snarky voice in his head, one that sounded surprisingly like Wintergreen, told him and he growled faintly and quickly shook his head, trying to dislodge that voice and its taunts.

"So," he said as he looked at Chase again, focusing on the pup rather than his wayward thoughts. "You were pretty quick to jump in and offer to bond with a man old enough to be your parent. You want to talk about why? Because despite what some of the masses might be thinking something tells me you're not as dumb as you made yourself seem."

Chase's nose wrinkled as the young Alpha clearly tried to work out if Slade had just insulted him or not and the Omega couldn't help but chuckle.

"I..." Chase shrugged slightly as he seemed to come to the decision that Slade hadn't been insulting him. "I guess I did it for Oliver."

Slade regarded the pup for a minute.

"How so?"

"He loves you." Chase shrugged again as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And he lost you... _twice_...he shouldn't go through losing you again. So...So bonding with you means that he wouldn't have to suffer through that again."

"You'd bond with me just to keep Oliver happy."

It wasn't a question but Chase nodded, fidgeting slightly, not seeming to notice the loud cry from the other room this time.

"He's the closest thing I've ever had to a father," the Alpha said softly. "And we...we wouldn't have to be...anything to each other. I mean...if we bonded...you...I wouldn't...we wouldn't have to be...like Oliver and Ra's. You could...You could still have any freedom you wanted and...and I wouldn't expect anything of you...just...just that you wouldn't hurt Oliver or...or do anything to hurt him again."

Slade stared at Chase for a long, silent while.

At first he couldn't believe that the pup was serious. But looking into those bright blue eyes he knew the younger man was. Despite his youth, and the opinions of the others concerning his intelligence, Chase had truly thought this through. He wanted nothing from Slade. Nothing but assurance that the man they both cared so deeply for would never come to harm because of him or his actions again. He was willing to give up a life with someone his own age, someone he could have built a true life with, all for the sake of another. Part of Slade wanted to refuse. To tell the pup he was too young. That he deserved better than a grumpy old Omega old enough to be his father. And yet he couldn't seem to find his voice. Not to attempt and disuade the pup at least. Instead he found himself drawing a deep breath before gesturing for Chase to come closer.

The pup hesitated for the barest of moments before he slowly shuffled over.

When he was close enough Slade reached out, quick as lightning, catching the younger man by the collar of his jacket, yanking him down so that he could scent him.

He heard the warning growl from one of the other assassins across the room but ignored them. Focusing on Chase's scent.

Rich and cool, like freshly turned soil, but with an underlying hint of apples.

It was nice. More so than Slade was likely to admit. And he was surprised when Chase, despite trembling slightly, scented him in return.

When the young Alpha drew back, blinking those big blue eyes at him, Slade was surprised by the somewhat dopy grin on that pale face.

"Pup?" Slade's nose crinkled slightly as Chase's grin widened a little bit.

"You smell like eucalyptus and...and the wind off the ocean," Chase's voice was soft, gentle, and he sounded like he couldn't have been describing anything better.

Slade blinked.

He'd never heard his scent described like that.

Oliver and Shado had both likened it to more earthy things. And he remembered Wintergreen telling him once that he smelled like charcoal and gun oil.

So he didn't know what it might mean that Chase picked up on something so completely different in his scent.

He was so caught up in his thoughts he barely registered when Chase leaned back in, brushing his cheek against his, scent marking him. And when he realized what the young Alpha was doing, instead of snarling or pushing the pup away, he surprised himself by just sitting there and let the pup do it. He couldn't help the soft rumble that bubbled up from his chest as he turned his head just enough to brush his nose along Chase's jaw.

He still wasn't convinced that bonding with the pup would be a good idea but, for the time being, he was content to scent, and be scented, by the young blond.

A low rumbling laugh quickly drew his attention and he shot Al Sayf, the smug bastard, a dirty look even as Chase, embarrassed to have been caught so obviously scenting an Omega, jerked away, putting respectable distance between himself and Slade.

"Something you want to say," Slade rumbled at Al Sayf, still glaring daggers at the man.

"Only that for a man who presents himself as nothing but a ruthless killer you certainly have a soft spot."

Slade snarled, ignoring the other assassins who shot him sharp looks of their own, but Al Sayf merely chuckled again.

"Calm yourself, Al Hattaal," the elder assassin said, waving his hand dismissively, not concerned with the Omega's anger. "Otherwise you will pop that vein in your forehead."

Slade blinked even Chase gave Al Sayf a curious look.

"Al Hattaal?" The Omega questioned and Al Sayf flinched slightly.

"Your accent is atrocious," the Alpha rumbled faintly, shaking his head. "But we'll work on that."

Slade rolled his eye and shot Al Sayf a sour look. "Al Hattaal," he growled again, the question clear in his tone and again Al Sayf looked personally offended at the Omega's butchering of his language but it was Chase, surprisingly, who answered the question.

"Translated literally it means The Precipitator," the young Alpha explained, giving a lopsided grin. "Though I believe Al Sayf meant it more as the lax translation."

Slade looked at Chase, gaze narrowed. "Which is?"

Chase's grin grew slightly.

"The Reckless."

Slade growled and slowly looked at Al Sayf, who grinned and shifted the way he was standing, knowing full well what was going to happen next, ready for when the Omega lunged at him.


	40. Chapter 40

A loud crash caused Oliver to jerk awake and he growled reflexively, gaze searching the room, searching for threats to him or his mate or...

A hand ran over his side and he jerked slightly, half turning, looking over his shoulder, gaze fixing with his mate's. Ra's rumbled softly, soothingly.

"It's alright, _habib_ ," the Alpha soothed, still rubbing his hand over Oliver's side. "Just the pups being foolish. They'll settle whatever it is."

Oliver blinked and, slowly, his instincts, settled enough that his rational mind returned.

"Ra's..."

"They're fine, _habib_ ," Ra's reassured, leaning in, nuzzling at Oliver's shoulder. "They..."

Another loud crash sounded and Oliver growled again, jerking upright, moving to get off the bed but the Alpha caught his arm.

"Our men can handle your unruly Australian."

Oliver shook his head. "It's not them I'm worried about," the Omega retorted, pulling away and climbing to his feet, searching for his jeans, eventually finding them even as he felt Ra's through their bond, his mate's presence a calming comfort. He bunny-hopped into his jeans and had just zipped them up when he realized something he should have noticed much sooner.

He went still. Eerily still.

Ra's sat up, frowning, watching the way his mate paled, eyes widening slightly, mouth opening and closing slightly, much like a goldfish in a tank and his worry suddenly spiked.

" _Habib_ ," the Alpha rose from the bed as he spoke. "Oliver, what..."

"My Heat," Oliver murmured, though it wasn't clear that he was actually answering his mate's concern. More like he was thinking aloud. "I'm not in Heat anymore." 

Ra's felt as though his heart had leapt into his throat. Oliver was far too young still for his Heat to be so short. And Ra's knew his mate took nothing that would suspress or cause the Heat to end so quickly. Which meant the most likely cause of his mate's Heat being so short was...

Once more the Alpha's heart leapt into his throat and he slowly climbed from the bed, approaching his mate, who had not moved an muscle, just as slowly. Like approaching a cornered animal.

"Oliver," Ra's spoke softly, gently, reaching out once he was close enough to lightly touch his mate's arm even as Oliver finally moved, a hand sliding over his abdomen, even as the Alpha could practically see the wheels turning in the Omega's mind. "Is...Do you think..."

Oliver suddenly let out a sound, high pitched and broken, and for the third time Ra's heart attempted to climb into his throat. He had heard his mate make that sound once before. After his return to Nanda Parbat after his last mission before disappearing nearly a year earlier. He had never learned what exactly had caused his mate to make such a distressed sound and that Oliver had just made it again had Ra's skin crawling and his worry racketing up further.

"Oliver..."

If the Omega heard him he gave no indication of it, merely snatching a shirt up from the floor, Ra's shirt, yanking it on hurriedly before he unexpectedly stormed from the room.

"OLIVER!"

Ra's scrambled to dress himself, managing only his pants, before rushing after his mate.

He wasn't surprised to find whatever chaos had been happening in the other room had ceased, no doubt caused by Oliver's unexpected appearance, and when he gave Al Sayf, who was sitting on Slade's back, pinning the growling man to the floor, a questioning look and the man looked at the door of the apartment, which was open, and without a word Ra's was moving, entering the hallway, half afraid his mate would have disappeared, again, only to be surprised to find Oliver had dropped to his knees just shy of the stairs.

" _Habib_ ," Ra's started to move towards his mate only to still when an unexpected voice shouted.

"Ollie?!"

He growled faintly as a dark haired girl came rushing up the stairs. She ran to Oliver, who whined faintly, and dropped down next to him, wrapping her arms around him even as he seemed to struggle to draw enough air into his lungs to keep from hyperventilating.

"Oh my God, Ollie, what's...what's going on? Are you okay?" The girl looked up at him, dark eyes blazing with fire even as she growled faintly. "What the hell did you do to my brother, you son of a bitch?!"

Ra's could not suppress his growl but he found his temper curbing, slightly, when Nyssa appeared on the stairs, clearly having run up after the girl.

"Miss Queen," Nyssa said quickly, looking from her father to Oliver and girl. "Thea...I assure you..."

"You said they wouldn't hurt my brother!" The girl, Thea, Oliver's sister, snarled fiercely, shooting Nyssa a sharp glare.

"And no one has," Ra's sharply interjected, causing Thea's gaze to swing back to him. "I would never allow any of mine to harm my mate."

Thea blinked, some of the anger bleeding out of her gaze, but she still growled faintly.

Alpha, her scent told Ra's, and, though she was young, the love and loyalty she showed spoke volumes as to her character.

"If you didn't hurt him," she rumbled faintly, still tightly holding Oliver, rubbing her hands over his shoulders. "Then what the hell is going on?!"

"Stop," Oliver's voice was hoarse yet quiet but it was enough to cause Thea to go silent, her gaze softening as she looked at her brother, who had finally gotten his breathing under control, though he still looked shaken to the core. "Just...Just...can we...can we all be...quiet...for a minute...please?"

Thea and Ra's both rumbled softly at the same time but it was Thea who spoke.

"Okay," her voice was soft, gentle. "Okay, Ollie, whatever you need, okay?"

Oliver nodded, shakily, and he squeezed his eyes shut, leaning into Thea slightly.

Nyssa looked at Ra's, clearly searching for some explanation, but Ra's did not have one to give. Instead he walked to where his mate was kneeling and slowly crouched next to him, reaching out to gently comb his fingers through the Omega's hair, murmuring soft, soothing things in Arabic, telling Oliver it was okay. That everything was okay. Oliver didn't say anything for a long while but he did, eventually, draw a ragged breath before opening his eyes again.

He didn't appear any better than he did before.

"I'm okay," the Omega said softly, still clearly favouring the calm, quietness he had asked them for. "I'm...I'm okay..."

" _Habib_ ," Ra's started but Oliver touched his hand, lightly, the touch there and gone so quickly it might have been easily missed.

"I just..." Oliver shook his head, hand once more resting over his abdomen. "I..." He drew a deep breath again, clearly steadying himself, before meeting Ra's concerned gaze. "We shouldn't have this conversation out here."

Ra's nodded and wasn't surprised that Thea immediately assisted Oliver in standing or that, despite being so much smaller than her brother, she let him lean against her as they made their way back into the apartment. He saw the surprise dance across the girl's face when she saw Slade even as her nose wrinkled.

"Mr Wilson?"

Slade, who had either slipped Al Sayf's grasp or had been allowed to his feet, nodded. "Miss Queen."

"Okay," Thea's tone clearly said that was an explanation she was willing to wait for. She helped Oliver over to the couch, easing him down, blinking in surprise when Chase suddenly appeared at her elbow, holding out a bottle of water to Oliver, who accepted it, downing half of it in one go.

Ra's watched his mate closely, not failing to see his men, and Slade, doing the same. They were all concerned for his mate.

"Ollie," Thea spoke as she brushed her hand over her brother's cheek. "Ollie, what...are you okay?"

Oliver drew a shaky breath as he nodded and looked up, though his gaze was fixed just beyond his sister's shoulder, fixed on Ra's.

"I'm pregnant."


	41. Chapter 41

The room was still and silent.

Oliver stared at Ra's.

Ra's stared at Oliver.

And then everything seemed to erupt into chaos.

People were talking at once and moving and Oliver felt like the world had tilted sharply and his head hurt from the noise but, thankfully, Ra's sudden snarl, loud and fierce, caused everything to fall silent and still once more. Oliver wasn't surprised when Thea pressed into his side, her faint rumbling, like a large cat, echoing through the air, her instincts, both as an Alpha and his sister, were likely pushing her to protect him and his baby.

Once everything was quiet and calm, or at least as calm as it was likely to get, Oliver let out a soft sound and leaned forward, elbows braced on his knees, head hung, trying to breathe, deeply, through his nose only. His heart was still beating rapidly against his ribs and he felt slightly faint. He felt Thea's hand brush over his hair, her touch gentle and soft, even as her hand moved to rub, soothingly, over his back in big, wide circles. Approaching footsteps caused him to look up, head barely lifting, and he watched as Ra's knelt before him, the Alpha's gaze a mix of awe, love and concern.

" _Habib_ ," the Alpha began before swallowing thickly. "Oliver...You...We..."

The Alpha reached up, gently cupping Oliver's cheek, thumb sweeping gently over the stubble rough skin. He then breathed soft promises in Arabic. Promises of protection. Of love. All the same promises he had made when they had first Bonded and more.

His mate's words brought tears to his eyes even as he reached out, pressing his fingertips to Ra's' lips, silencing the Alpha.

The Omega wasn't certain he could handle hearing all those wonderful, beautiful things.

Not then at least.

"Oliver?" Ra's spoke against Oliver's fingers, lips brushing, like butterfly wings, against the Omega's skin, making him tremble slightly.

Oliver stared into his Alpha's eyes and swore his heart was trying to crawl into his throat.

"Tell him, _Habib_ ," Al Sayf's voice broke the silence and both Ra's and Oliver looked at the older Alpha. "No more secrets. Not now."

Ra's stared for a moment longer at the other Alpha before looking again at Oliver.

"Secrets? What secrets?" Ra's watched fresh tears fill his mate's eyes. "What is he speaking of, _habib_?"

Oliver let out a soft sound, low in his throat, as his gaze slowly returned to Ra's' face.

His mate looked so worried even if the Alpha was trying to hide it. Trying to be the strong, confident man the world perceived him to be. But Oliver saw it. He knew Ra's, almost as well as he knew himself, and he knew that Al Sayf was right. No more secrets. Not about this. He'd carried the weight of it, alone, long enough. It had been slowly tearing him apart for nearly a year. He had to let go of it. Now. Before it poisoned his life any further. Before it poisoned the love he would have for the life now growing within him.

"This..." He choked on the words and had to pause, clearing his throat, tears spilling silently down his face. "This isn't...my...first pregnancy. Not...Not our first..." He found he couldn't continue speaking. But it didn't seem to matter.

He watched as his words settled for Ra's.

Watched as his mate worked out what exactly his words had meant and waited for the fallout.

Ra's' expression shifted but there was no fury in his mate's face. Not a drop.

"Oh...Oh, _habib_ ," the Alpha rumbled softly and Oliver let out a broken sound even as he curled in on himself.

"I didn't...I didn't know...not until...until after..." Oliver shook his head, leaning forward towards his mate and yet sideways into his sister, seeking the comfort of both, especially when Thea, always sharp as a tack, put the pieces together and, with a low rumble of her own, hugged him tightly, arms looping around him.

Drawing a deep breath, hands clenching and unclenching, he forced himself to keep speaking. To finally get this out.

"The mission...with the warlord...I didn't know until...until after and I just..." He squeezed his eyes shut, tears still spilling forth. "I didn't...I couldn't breathe..." He slowly opened his eyes again, though he looked down and away from his mate. "Couldn't...Couldn't look at you and not...not think...of what...what I'd...what we'd...lost..."

Ra's felt tears prickle his eyes but he blinked them away. Silently praying for the soul of the child his mate had lost. The child they had never gotten to hold. To watch grow. To truly love. Letting out a soft sound, a comforting rumble, he moved, wrapping an arm around Oliver's torso even as he ran his hair over his mate's hair, nuzzling at the younger man's neck.

"You carried an impossible thing," Ra's whispered, lips ghosting over the corner of his mate's jaw. "I...I will eternally be sorry that you felt you had to carry it alone."

Oliver clung to his mate even as he felt Thea shuffle closer, not caring that, by right, she should have been giving them space. Her brother was hurting. She wasn't going to just abandon him. He heard one of the men whisper a soft prayer for the child he had lost even as Nyssa suddenly settled herself next to him, tucking in close, murmuring soft, soothing things. He jumped slightly when a hand brushed over his shoulder from behind and he only settled when he caught Slade's scent.

Eyes squeezing shut he tried, unsuccessfully, to block the memories but they surfaced just the same.

_He'd finished the mission and radioed in, meeting the extraction team, and then proceeded to pass out on the transport flight back to Nanda Parbat. Bleeding out._

_When he woke again he was in the house of healing in Nanda Parbat, one of the healers, a older woman called Ana, was at his bedside, checking his bandages. When she saw he was awake she smiled._

_"Al Sa-him," she spoke softly, her natural accent turning her words into a soft, unique music, hand lightly touching his shoulder. "It is good to see your eyes again."_

_Oliver couldn't help the way his lips quirked upwards. "That bad, huh?"_

_"You had three pieces of shrapnel lodged in your side. And damage caused by the concussive force of the blast." Ana gave him a look then. An unreadable one. Not unusual. Ana was a master at masking her true thoughts and feelings. "There...There is something else, Al Sa-him, something..." She paused. "Did you know...that you were pregnant,_ Habib _?"_

_Oliver blinked. Shock rippling through him._

_"Were?_

_Ana's expression shifted, becoming soft, compassionate and Oliver's heart felt like broken glass._

_"I am...I am so sorry,_ Habib _."_

_Oliver said nothing. He didn't even cry._

_He felt numb._

_Hollow and numb._

_He hadn't even known._

_How had he not realized? What was he supposed to tell Ra's?_

_He had to beg Ana not to tell anyone and even then he had his doubts that she wouldn't go to Ra's but, as the days passed, it seemed the healer would keep her word. Oliver however hadn't been able to look at his mate much less be in the same room as the Alpha. He knew his sudden change hadn't gone unnoticed but he just couldn't seem to bring himself to talk about what had happened._

_Eventually, once he was well enough, he took to hiding in the fields just beyond the walls of Nanda Parbat, just to avoid his mate, and everyone else who had noticed his odd behaviour. Of course it hadn't worked as well as he'd hoped because Al Sayf eventually found him tucked beneath the ancient oak that grew in the far corner of the field. The Alpha hadn't spoken as he approached and Oliver watched him warily. Had Ra's sent him?_

_"You're hiding again," Al Sayf said as he slowly sank down to sit in the long grass with Oliver._

_"I'm..."_

_"If you want to lie to the others and to your mate, _Habib_ , that is fine but please do not lie to me. Not when a blind man could see something is wrong."_

_Oliver said nothing, merely looking away from Al Sayf, looking at the trunk of the oak._

_Carved into the bark was a name._

_Robert al Ghul._

_He hadn't known if the baby he'd lost had been male or female but that was the name he'd chosen. For his father. For the man who had died so that he could live._

_Al Sayf, sharp as a tack, his centuries of living no doubt having gifted him the ability to see certain patterns that would indicate what exactly Oliver was going through, suddenly whispered a prayer. A prayer for a lost child. It caused Oliver's entire body to tense and tears prickled the Omega's gaze._

_"You need not hide from our brothers and sisters,_ Habib _," Al Sayf spoke softly, gently, reaching out to touch Oliver's hand. "Let them...Let us help you carry this grief."_

_Oliver let out a sharp sound and shook his head. "It's...It's not their grief to carry."_

_"And what of the Demon's Head? Is it not his grief at least?" The Alpha took Oliver's hand in his, lacing their fingers together, something he had done many times since their friendship had budded years earlier. It was his way of comforting the Omega whom, once, he had thought to call his own despite the oaths he had taken. "He too lost this child before he could know it."_

_Oliver let out a soft sound and looked away from Al Sayf. "It's...It's better if he doesn't know."_

_"Oliver..." It was the first time in a long time that Al Sayf had called him by his old name and Oliver quickly shook his head again._

_"If he knows he'll...he'll blame himself. For sending me on the mission. For not scenting the changes I was going through. I don't...I don't want that for him." The Omega shook his head. "I'll...I'll be okay. In time. Just...Just need to be alone for a bit. Get my head on straight. Then things will be okay."_

_Al Sayf regarded him for a moment before he slowly nodded. He did not like keeping this secret but he would do it for Oliver. He squeezed the younger man's hand as he spoke. "If that is your wish,_ Habib _."_

_Oliver nodded and they lapsed into silence._

_Two days later Oliver learned of Al Sa-her's attack on Starling City and he left to ensure his family's safety. But he knew, as he slipped from Nanda Parbat under the cover of night, that he was also running. From his ghosts. From the fear of what his mate would do or say if he learned of the child he had lost._


	42. Chapter 42

Ra's carefully drew Oliver from the couch and then back to the bedroom, away from the eyes and ears of the others, his every instinct driving him to protect and comfort his mate. He wasn't surprised when, the moment the door closed behind them, Oliver slumped, curling in on himself even as he stepped, shakily, towards the bed.

The Alpha watched his mate curl up on the bed before he quickly joined him.

Oliver twitched, jerking away slightly, and Ra's was quick to rub his hand over the Omega's side.

"It's alright, _habib_ ," the Alpha rumbled as he hugged his mate. "It's alright."

Oliver whined loudly and shook his head, tears spilling down his face, curling tighter in on himself.

"I..." He shook his head again. "It's my fault...I should have known...and now...God what if I kill this pup too?"

Ra's couldn't stop the rumble that bubbled up and he moved, rolling Oliver onto his back, looming over his mate, gripping the younger man's chin, forcing him to lift his head, to look at him.

"You are _not_ to blame for the loss of our first pup," the Alpha spoke firmly, certainly, brushing the tears from his mate's cheeks. "Neither of us knew, _habib_. If we had...do you truly think you would have been sent on that mission? Do you think I would have risked our child, risked _you_ , so foolishly? You are not to blame for this loss. And no harm will befall this new pup. Not at our hands."

Oliver let out a low chuffing sound.

"But..."

"No." Ra's shook his head. Glad the other were not able to see this. This was not something that should be visited. This was between him and his mate only. "You did nothing wrong, _habib_. Nothing." He leaned down, pressing his forehead to Oliver's even as his mate's hands gripped at his sides, a low whine bubbling up from the Omega. "I...I am sorry you carried this for so long. I cannot imagine the torment it caused you. But...But please, _habib_ , do not think you are the reason our pup...our pup was taken from us."

Oliver stared up at him with tear filled eyes and Ra's could feel the anguish his mate felt. The guilt. The self loathing. He pushed at all of it with his love and acceptance and comfort. It would not be an easy thing to overcome, he knew, but Oliver was strong. Stronger than most. He needed love and support right now and for all the days to come. His mate had experienced the worst thing imaginable and only love and support would help ease the pain and doubt.

"I know what you are feeling," Ra's pressed on, running his fingers through Oliver's hair. "I feel it, my beloved, but you can heal. If you...If you let me...let your brothers and sister...help you to do so. You have carried this weight alone for too long, Oliver."

Oliver, eyes still shining with tears, tightened his hold on the Alpha, his Alpha, and for the first time in months felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"Oh, _'iishraq_ ," Oliver whispered softly, tears dotting his lashes. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

Ra's felt a smile tug at his lips.

He hadn't heard Oliver call him _'iishraq_ , _sunshine_ , in so long that he'd forgotten how it set his heart fluttering. His mate had gone through countless pet names for him, some rather ridiculous, but had eventually settled on _'iishraq_ after, for some reason, deciding that Ra's was the light to his darkness. Ra's disagreed with his mate. If either of them were the light in the darkness it was Oliver. But he would never voice that opinion. Not when it made his mate happy to believe otherwise.

"It is the other way around," the Alpha finally responded, lips brushing like butterfly wings over Oliver's. "It is I who wonder what I have done to deserve you, _habib_. For in all my long years never did I dream to have someone like you be mine."

Oliver let out a soft sound and drew Ra's closer, nuzzling his face into the Alpha's neck and Ra's pushed as much love and comfort and support through their Bond as he could. There was still a long journey ahead of them but the Alpha was confident that they would see it through together.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Chase paced the hallway outside of the apartment for some time after his Master had whisked Oliver away to the bedroom again. The elder Alpha no doubt seeking to comfort his mate alone. As was his right. And though Chase wished to offer his own comfort and support to the man who was his father in all but blood there was something else he wished even more. Something he had wanted ever since that moment on the plane when his Master had told him, and his brothers, that Oliver had been shot.

He hadn't had the chance to slip away before.

Too much attention had been paid by all present.

But now, as terrible as it was to disappear when Oliver clearly needed the support of those who loved him, would be his chance. Likely his only chance.

Drawing a deep breath he steeled his resolve and slipped, silent as a shadow, from the building.

He was halfway down the alley when a voice called down from one of the fire escapes.

"And just where do you think you're going, pup?"

Jerking round, throwing the knife from his belt instinctively, though a chuckle told him he hadn't hit his target. And he glared upwards through the shadows only to feel the tension that had jumped into his very being slowly ebb as he watched Al Sayf drop down to the alley to stand a few feet from him.

"Damn it, Al Sayf," the younger Alpha growled faintly. "I could have..."

"What?" Al Sayf's eyebrow arched and a smirk danced across his face. "Killed me?" He twirled Chase's knife as he stepped closer. "Better killers than you have tried, Malak. And failed."

Chase snorted but accepted his knife when Al Sayf held it out to him. "What are you doing out here," he asked and Al Sayf's smirk grew.

"I believe I asked you first, pup."

"No, you asked where I was going. Not why."

Al Sayf chuckled and shook his head. "You spend far too much time with Al Sa-him. And I know the reason for your leaving. I am more curious as to where you think you will find your prey."

Chase heard what Al Sayf was saying without actually saying it.

"You know where she is?"

The elder Alpha gave a slow nod. "Are you certain you wish to truly go this, Malak? There is a chance Al Sa-him will not be pleased with what we seek to do. And Ra's al Ghul himself spared her punishment."

Chase rumbled faintly.

"I don't care," he snapped hotly. "She...She could have killed more than just Oliver. She can't just be allowed to get away with that." He drew a shaky breath. "You once said that we are balance and order. What order is it that we serve if we let what happened to Oliver go unpunished?"

Al Sayf slowly nodded. He knew nothing he said or did would stop Chase. But, truthfully, he did not want to stop the younger Alpha. He too desired justice for Oliver.

"Shall we then, pup," he asked, still smirking and Chase nodded, following him into the shadows of the night. They knew that they would need to be swift. Their absence would be noted and they wished to finish their task and return before anyone could question their whereabouts.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

The foundry was quiet and lit only by the overhead lights that had been installed several months earlier, after the quake that had nearly leveled the Glades. Al Sayf had known Sara Lance would be here still because, from what he'd gathered from listening to Nyssa and Thea talk, her sister had yet to reach out to her. It seemed Sara's actions, both recent and past, had created a rift between the two. It was better this way, the elder assassin supposed, watching the woman who considered herself a protector of this city, take her anger out on a training dummy, better here than somewhere people might bare witness.

He and Chase were silent shadows. Not even Sara's training alerted her to their presence. Not until he deliberated stepped, the sound of his boot on the concrete drawing the vigilante's attention.

She spun, fierce and ready for a fight, but seemed to settle upon seeing him. And then a flicker of fear danced in her blue gaze.

"Ollie..."

Of course she feared something had happened to him. Feared Ra's would blame the injury she had inflicted upon his mate. Would blame her.

"Al Sa-him is quite well," Al Sayf said, not surprised when Chase kept hidden, kept from drawing Sara's attention. "Though he is why we are here."

"We?"

Before Sara could say or do anything else Chase struck.

Using the element of surprise he struck three pressure points in quick succession and brought her to her hands and knees. She could barely breathe and was immobilized though it wouldn't last long. Just long enough for what Chase wanted to do.

"Did you know there are two-hundred-and-six bones in the human body," the young Alpha said as he calmly circled Sara, watching as she tried to move. A cruel grin spread across his face before, swiftly and with great force, he brought his boot down on her hand and fingers.

Sara screamed in agony as the bones broke. The crunching sound popping through the air in a way that, to an uninitiated, would have been sickening. Al Sayf merely continued to grin as he watched the scene unfold before him.

"That's twenty-seven."

Chase reached down to fist his hand in Sara's hair, wrenching her head back so their gazes met. Tears streamed down her face and pain was etched deeply in her gaze. But there was also rage. "The next time you threaten or harm Al Sa-him, I will not simply break your hand." He wrenched her head back further, pressing the toe of his boot to her hand. Making her cry out again. "I will break every bone in your body, slowly, one at a time, and then, when your body burns with the agony of it, I will slit your wrists and watch you bleed out into the dust."

Without another word Chase released Sara's hair, letting her slump again, hearing her whimpers of pain, as he walked away, both he and Al Sayf disappearing into the shadows as Sara slowly regained control of her body. By the time she was able to stand the pair of assassins were gone.


	43. Chapter 43

Oliver lay for a while, curling up in his mate's arms, basking in the feelings, the love and comfort and devotion, he felt coming from the Alpha through their Bond. He kept running his fingers lightly, almost absently, over his abdomen. It was still perfectly flat. Still all muscle. But he knew, in a few months time, that would change. He would start showing as the baby, his baby, _their_ baby, grew. He wasn't afraid to admit, at least to himself, that he was terrified. What did he know about babies or raising them? He might have been an Omega might he'd never truly been the paternal type.

An image of Chase came to mind suddenly, young and afraid and looking to Oliver, and Oliver alone, for guidance.

The boy may have been nearly grown when Oliver had found him but, he supposed, in a way he had taken on a fatherly role for Chase.

"What are you thinking of, _habib_?"

Ra's voice broke the silence and Oliver tipped his head back, peering at his Alpha's face, a small smile slowly gracing his own.

"I was thinking about how I don't know anything about being a parent, but then I realized for the last couple of years I've sort of been parenting Chase."

Ra's chuckled and kissed his mate's forehead. "The boy loves you as such," the Alpha said, rubbing his hand over Oliver's abdomen, already protective of the life growing within.

Oliver smiled but then his thoughts turned in a different direction. He thought of Moira and what her reaction to the baby might be.

"I'll need to tell my mother," he said softly, not liking the tightness in his stomach at the thought.

Ra's hummed. "She may not be overjoyed to hear this news, especially not when she made...threats...concerning you."

Oliver blinked.

"Say that again?"

"She contacted us, as she did when she first learned Al Sa-her is still alive."

Oliver sat upright, pulling away from his mate, staring down at him with wide eyes.

"What," he rumbled faintly. "Did you just say?"

Ra's slowly sat up. "Your mother did not tell you this."

"My mother..." Oliver shook his head. "Of course. Of course she fucking knew and said nothing. Even after I told her about..." He bit back his words, suddenly very aware of how close he had nearly come to revealing the truth about Thea. About her being Malcolm's daughter. He shook his head again. "Did...Did she say anything about where we could find Al Sa-her?"

Ra's shook his head. "There is little trace of him, he was, after all, well trained," the Alpha reached out and took Oliver's hand in his. "I have men hunting for him the world over, _habib_. It is but a matter of time."

Oliver rumbled faintly and nodded before climbing from the bed.

"I need to go speak to my mother."

"Oliver..."

Oliver shook his head. "You don't...she looked me right in the eye and...she could have...when I told her I was of the League she...she could have told me about Al Sa-her!"

"Perhaps," Ra's said as he rose, catching Oliver's hand, lacing their fingers together. "Perhaps, _habib_ , she assumed you knew. When she called to make demands of us, of me, it was only for you to be released from your vow. A call that, if my memory serves me correctly, and I know it does, happened _after_ Nyssa had already released you. Meaning your mother does not know that you no longer serve the League."

Oliver huffed. "I didn't think it was worth mentioning. Not...Not given the conversation."

"And perhaps she thought the same of Al Sa-her still being alive. Even after learning you were a member of the League." Ra's rubbed his thumb over Oliver's knuckles. "Or, perhaps, she sought only to protect you."

Moira's words echoed through Oliver's mind. Of how she had been only trying to protect Thea. Something cold and heavy settled in the pit of the Omega's stomach. Drawing a slow, deep breath he gripped his mate's hand.

"Maybe," he said softly, accepting that, perhaps, in her own way Moira had been trying to protect him, and Thea. It didn't take the sting from learning she had, again, kept something from him but it did lessen it to a degree. "But I still need to talk to her about this. And about...about the baby."

Ra's sensed his mate's hesitation.

"You think she will not approve of our child?"

Oliver snorted and quickly turned the subject rather than answer. "You said she demanded my release. What did she threaten you with if you didn't agree?"

"A.R.G.U.S."

Oliver snarled.

A.R.G.U.S. was commanded by Amanda Waller. A woman Oliver had, briefly, encountered once during a mission. Her and her little squad of ragtag criminals. Her Suicide Squad. He had learned, from that one meeting, that Waller was not a woman to be crossed. And if Moira could truly use her as an asset then things would not end well. For A.R.G.U.S. or for the League.

Rumbling again Oliver pulled away from his Alpha once more.

"I need to talk to my mother," he growled faintly, yanking the bedroom door opening and stepping out, pausing when he saw Thea, still on the couch, tucked between Nyssa and Talibah. Both assassins had adopted a protective air and it was clear from the look on Talibah's face that she was already quite fond of Thea. Nyssa looked on his sister in much the same way she had looked at her own sister. Lovingly and protectively. And Thea was no different, she was saying something to Nyssa, too quietly for him to catch, but she was smiling and Nyssa smiled with her, nodding slightly before she noticed Oliver watching, glancing at him long enough that Thea followed her gaze.

As his sister extracted herself from between the two assassins he couldn't help but smile. She was looking at him the same way she had when they'd been children. Like he'd hung the moon and could do anything in the world. He wondered if, one day, his pup would look at him like that. He hoped so.

Thea pulled him into a strong hug and as he wrapped his arms around her he couldn't help but scent her. It made her giggle against his shoulder even as he smiled into her dark tresses.

"You're an idiot," she murmured, head resting against his shoulder, arms tight around his torso. "But you're _my_ idiot. I love you, Ollie."

Oliver smiled into his sister's hair before pressing a gentle kiss to her temple. "Love you too, Speedy."

Thea groaned as she drew back, playfully punching him in the shoulder, grinning fondly the entire time. "You are not teaching my future niece or nephew to call me that."

Oliver grinned down at her.

"I don't know," he teased. "Aunt Speedy has a nice ring to it."

Thea growled faintly, punching his shoulder again, grinning as she shook her head.

"How did they put up with you for six years?"

Oliver chuckled. "Five years," he corrected which had Thea rolling her eyes. "I was with..." He glanced around the room, searching for Slade, amazed the man had kept quiet for so long only to frown as he realized the Australian Omega was mysteriously absent.

"Where's Slade?"

Thea's nose wrinkled, clearly thrown by the seemingly randomness of her brother's questiong, and Sayad shrugged from where he was sitting, sharpening one of his knives. "Malak said he wished to discuss something with the man in the other room."

Ra's quirked an eyebrow. "And you, in good conscious, decided that was a sound idea?"

Sayad looked guilty for a moment, glancing at the others, who shared similar expressions before he slowly rose.

"Apologies, Master," he said bowing his head. "But...we merely thought...when Malak offered as he did...we..."

A single look from Ra's silenced the man and he gestured toward the door leading to the apartment's second bedroom.

Oliver had started towards it when, suddenly, sudden enough to make him jump in surprise, the door banged open, revealing Slade, who was yanking some sort of gag from his mouth, glaring daggers with his one dark eye and looking ready to murder the first person to step close enough.

"Where," the Australian Omega snarled savagely, glaring at each person in the room individually before he focused solely on Oliver. "Is that blood little seppo? I'm going to rip his fucking head off."

"Slade..." Oliver wasn't surprised by the man's rage. He was, however, surprised by the use of slang that, even during their days on Lian Yu, the older Omega had rarely used. "What..."

"That little bastard drugged me," Slade snarled loud enough that no one noticed the apartment door opening, or the two men who slipped inside as though they had never been gone. "And left me tied up in the fucking closet!"

"You make it sound like a tried to kidnap you instead of just make certain you didn't cause any trouble while I went out," Chase snapped in retort, wincing as it drew everyone's attention to him and, behind him, Al Sayf rolled his eyes. "I mean...umm..."

Ra's quirked an eyebrow at the young assassin.

"And where, pup," the Demon's Head quirried, looking from Chase to Al Sayf and back again, noting the somewhat guilty look in Chase's eyes and the smugness in Al Sayf's. "Did the pair of you disappear to exactly?"

Chase chewed on his lower lip, something Oliver knew the young Alpha only did when stressed, but before the boy could answer Thea's cell phone rang. She tried to answer it quietly, not wanting whoever it was to overhear what was going on in the apartment but then her eyes went wide and, for a moment, Oliver grew concerned something had happened.

"What happened to Sara?!" Thea sounded outraged and scared and Nyssa was suddenly on her feet, dark gaze fixed on Chase and Al Sayf as a growl bubbled up from her chest. Thea whirled on the young blonde assassin and snarled even as the phone hung limply from her fingers, Roy's voice, calling her name, echoing from the little speaker. 

"What the hell did you do to my friend you little asshole?!"


	44. Chapter 44

Chaos erupted as people began speaking, or snarling, at once and Oliver felt a dull throb behind his eyes as a headache began to form. He had just opened his mouth to try and restore some order when, surprisingly, Ra's gave an uncharacteristic roar.

"ENOUGH!"

The silence that fell was nearly immediate and Ra's glared from person to person, silently daring them to test his patience further, and, when his gaze fell again on Chase the younger Alpha tipped his chin up, not in defiance, but refusal to show his fear. Ra's let out a low rumbling growl before he gestured towards Thea.

"Miss Queen," the Demon's Head spoke calm though Oliver saw, and felt, the storm brewing in his mate. "If you would be so kind as to either take your phone call to the hall or end it I will deal with my men."

Thea looked ready to retort but a quick glance at Oliver had her seemingly reconsidering her decision. She slowly lifted her phone. "Roy," she said quietly, voice still full of her anger. "I'll call you back."

Ending the call she glared daggers at Chase but didn't speak, merely watched, as Ra's moved towards the young assassin.

"Explain."

It was all Ra's said.

It was all he needed to say.

"You showed her mercy," Chase replied as his hands curled into fists at his sides before he forced them to relax once more.

"As is my right."

Chase started to growl but quickly bit back the sound.

"He is Habib al Ghul," the young Alpha said as he pointed at Oliver before his gaze returned to his master. "He...If you are our soul, the soul of the League, than he is our heart. She could have taken him from us, _all of us_ , and you...you did nothing." Chase let out a low, angry sound. "She...She deserved to pay...pay some price for what she did. Justice cannot be suspended for any soul. _You_ taught me that, Master."

"What price she paid was not for you," Ra's shot Al Sayf a scalding look. "Or you, to decide."

Al Sayf shrugged and leaned back against the wall, arms crossing over his chest, seemingly nonchalant about the entire thing.

"Perhaps not," Al Sayf replied, sounding bored. "But a lesson had to be taught."

"That decision..."

"Should have been made by you," the elder Alpha cut in quickly, eyebrow quirking. "And I, if one wishes to be technical, did nothing. I simply did not argue with the one who did."

The look Chase shot Al Sayf could have peeled paint.

If Al Sayf noticed he gave no indication of it.

He did, however, tip his chin upwards slightly.

"However," the elder Alpha continued, slowly stepping away from the wall, arms falling to his sides, his gaze fixed on Ra's and Ra's alone. "I am willing to accept and bear full punishment for what my brother has done."

Chase blinked and every member of the League looked at Al Sayf in surprise.

It was rare for anyone, even in the League, to accept punishment for another's actions. And, as the Sword of the League, Al Sayf had never done so.

"Al Sayf," Oliver took a step forward but whatever he'd meant to say was drowned out by Nyssa's sudden snarl.

"What exactly," Nyssa snarled as she advanced towards Chase. "Did you do to Ta-er al-Sahfer?"

Chase bristled and his jaw clenched for a moment before he turned his impossibly blue gaze on the Heir of the Demon.

"Nothing she will not heal from," he growled in reply and Nyssa, angered further by his flippant answer, let out an angry growl of her own before advancing further.

"You will answer me," she snapped hotly. "Or I will..."

"You will what?" Al Sayf spoke in a bored tone, drawing Nyssa's dark gaze for a fleeting moment. "Continue to throw a tantrum like a child?"

Nyssa growled, deep rumbling sound that bubbled up from her chest like a roll of thunder, as she turned to face Al Sayf fully. She started towards him, hands curled into fists at her sides, but before she could get more than a few steps Ra's was growling, loudly, and the room fell still and silent. All eyes turned to the Demon's Head. Ra's waited a moment, making certain none would speak again, before he looked at Chase, the younger Alpha slowly dropping his gaze in a display of submission to his master.

"What," Ra's asked calmly. "Exactly did you do to Sara Lance, child?"

Chase drew a slow breath before he answered.

"I broke her hand," he said as his gaze barely lifted from the floor. "Considering...Considering her actions I felt...I felt breaking the hand that wielded the gun was a fitting punishment. It..." He looked at Oliver. "It wasn't enough, not nearly enough, but...but I thought it was enough."

"Oh, Chase," Oliver murmured, wanting to hug the younger man, but not moving. He would do nothing until Ra's passed some form of judgement. He couldn't. Not when he'd already broken and strained so many League laws as it was.

"Does your offer to stand as the only one punished still stand, Al Sayf," Ra's rumbled and Al Sayf merely nodded. "Very well." He glanced at his two personal guards, who had been silent the entire time. "Dislocate the shoulder of his sword arm and break every bone in the arm and hand."

Nyssa still looked infuriated despite her father's ruling and as the two guards approached him everyone, especially Oliver, was surprised when Slade spoke.

"Wait." The Australian Omega stepped around Oliver and towards Al Sayf. "I'll take some of the punishment."

Ra's blinked even as confusion rippled around the room.

"Why would you do that," Ra's queried as he looked at Slade.

"If it wasn't for my actions, my choices, none of this would have happened to begin with." Slade's dark gaze swung to Oliver. "If I had left you out of my...my witch hunt perhaps they," he nodded at Chase and Al Sayf. "Wouldn't have gone seeking vengeance for what happened tonight."

"Wait," Thea suddenly cut in, looking from Slade to Oliver. "What the hell is he talking about? What happened tonight between you and Sara that made them," she waved her hand towards Chase and Al Sayf. "Go all crazy assassins on Sara?"

"Thea, now isn't..."

"You promised me," Thea snapped fiercely. "That you wouldn't keep secrets from me. You _promised_ me, Ollie."

Oliver let out a soft sound as he met his sister's gaze. "Sara..." He cleared his throat. "She shot me earlier tonight." He laid his hand over his chest where the bullet had struck. "Right here."

Thea frowned, brows drawing together in confusion. "But...But...no...she...she wouldn't..."

"She did." Oliver said as he shrugged slightly. "Things...Things got out of hand and things...things from our past caught up to us." He glanced at Slade and Thea followed his gaze, frowning the entire while, but Oliver's gaze held no blame for what had happened when he looked at the Australian Omega. "But...But we're trying to find some...some balance. Some peace."

Thea let out a low sound as her gaze narrowed into a glare.

"You," she snarled at Slade. "You said... _You're_ the reason Sara shot my brother."

Slade didn't try to deny it. Merely nodded and Thea let out an enraged sound as she suddenly launched herself at Slade. Oliver let out a startled shout but, surprisingly, it was Sayad who caught her, spinning her, using her own momentum against her. She tried to get around him but the assassin wrapped his arms around her, holding her securely but without letting her struggles hurt herself. She kept hissing and spitting and hurling insults until, having had enough, Oliver snarled loudly. Sounding more like an Alpha than an Omega.

"Alright, enough of this shit!" He bellowed, causing everyone to fall silent, watching him. "What happened tonight...all of it...Sara shooting me, Chase and Al Sayf hurting Sara, all of it...it's done! Over!" He turned to Ra's. "I know, and accept, punishment has to be dealt for their disobedience but...but after this...it's enough, sunshine. It's. Enough."

Ra's reached out and cupped Oliver's cheek before he slowly nodded. Hand slipping from his mate's face he turned his attention to Slade.

"Are you certain, Mr Wilson, that you wish to share in the punishment?"

Slade gave a nod. "Seems only right," he said firmly before drawing a deep breath. "So let's get this over with, huh?"

Ra's nodded and one of his guards moved to Al Sayf while the other moved to Slade.

Oliver couldn't make himself watch as they carried out Ra's command.

He heard Nyssa growl softly, declaring it wasn't good enough, that Chase should be the one being punished, before the Heir of the Demon stormed off, no doubt to go check on Sara, but turned his attention to Thea. Sayad still held her in his arms, though she had ceased struggling, her eyes were wide and face slightly pale. No doubt from watching Al Sayf and Slade's punishment. Oliver quickly moved forward, not surprised when Sayad released her and stepped back, hugging Thea to him.

"You..." Thea gripped his arms and tipped her head back to look at him.

"It's okay," he whispered to her. "This...all of this...it's okay, now, Speedy."

Her nose wrinkled slightly but she didn't protest the old nickname.

"This is your life," she replied, voice just as soft. "This...This violence and pain."

"It's not always like this, Speedy."

Thea stared at him for a moment before drawing a slow deep breath.

"I want answers," she said firmly. "The truth. All of it. Not just...Not just the scraps you think I can handle. You promised to tell me things and I...I want to know everything, Ollie."

He saw the fire in her eyes and nodded even as a small smile spread across his face.

"Okay," he replied, voice still soft and gentle. "Okay, just...just let me make certain Al Sayf and Slade..."

"Oh stop your damn worrying, kid," Slade growled, voice tight with pain, drawing Oliver's attention even as Chase seemed to move to the Omega's side to offer aid. "Ain't no worse than I ever had on the island. Go." He jutted his chin towards Thea. "She needs you a little more than either of us right now."

Oliver nodded slowly, smirking a bit as Slade growled, though without any real heat, when Chase tried to help him move without jostling his arm, before he looked again at Thea.

"Come on," he said, even as he felt a wave of support wash through the Bond as Ra's watched him guide his sister towards the door leading to the hallway. "We'll...We'll talk and walk. Get some air. Maybe go get some Big Belly Burgers."

Thea nodded and then cast a look over her shoulder at Ra's. "You coming or what? I got a feeling you won't like Ollie being out of your sight for too long. Besides, I might have questions for you and stuff."

Oliver and Ra's exchanged a look and the Omega felt his mate's surprise through the Bond but the Alpha slowly nodded and joined them. Oliver knew several of the others would likely follow them, shadow their movements and act as guards should the need arise, but he was hopeful that it wouldn't be necessary. He looped his arm over Thea's shoulders, tucking her against his side, while reaching with his other hand for his mate's. 

He saw the small, barely there smile that graced Ra's face as the Alpha laced their fingers together.


	45. Chapter 45

Walking down the street, mate to one side of him and his sister to the other, Oliver tried to think of how to begin. He'd told Thea about their father, about his years on Lian Yu, about how Nyssa had found him. But he'd been vague, perhaps purposely so, about his years in Nanda Parbat. He hadn't been ready to share that part of his life with her. Hadn't been ready to open up that chapter of his life to anyone who hadn't lived it with him. But Thea had been right. He'd promised honesty. And tonight's mess was just another reminder of why he needed to tell his sister things. To give her his trust.

So, drawing a deep breath, hugging Thea a little closer for a moment, he tried to find the same courage that had helped keep him alive for years.

"You know Nyssa found me on Lian Yu," he said softly, glancing down at Thea. "Know she...she offered me a place among the League. But...But it wasn't as simple as her saying I could be a member. There were...steps...trials. Things I had to learn, to overcome, before I could even be considered an initiate."

"Things like what?" Thea's nose wrinkled slightly, that thing she did when confused or trying to work out a puzzle.

"The first is to witness a demonstration of the power of the Head of the Demon," Oliver explained, a barely there grin tugging at his lips at the memory. "It's..." He glanced at Ra's, feeling the love and warmth through their Bond. "There's no way to describe it."

Thea huffed softly. "Did you faint?" Her tone was light, teasing, yet genuinely curious, and Oliver chuckled as he shook his head, looking down at her again.

"No," he chuckled again. "No, I..." He hesitated a moment, how did he explain his reaction to seeing Ra's demonstrate his power as master of the League?

Ra's, sensing his conflict through their Bond, spoke for him.

"He laughed."

Thea's head snapped around and she looked at Ra's, eyes slightly wide, clearly surprised by Ra's words.

"He..." She snickered. "He laughed? Seriously?"

Ra's nodded, smiling slightly, glancing at Oliver's face before looking at Thea.

"I have seen many come and go before the League, countless numbers, but in all my time I have never had someone laugh," Ra's chuckled lightly. "I remember giving my demonstration, which has inspired fear and awe in all who had come before, but Oliver...he laughed. So innocent. So genuine." Ra's looked at his mate then, still smiling softly. "I think that was the moment my heart truly belonged to him."

Oliver smiled back at the older man, squeezing his hand, letting his love flow through their Bond. Looking back at Thea he continued his explanation.

"So I became an initiate. I trained and worked myself nearly to death and then..." The memory of being shot, protecting Ra's, before he'd ever become a true member of the League, flashed through his mind. "During a training exercise I..." He drew a deep breath. "I noticed something odd in the crowd and...I just reacted. Put myself between my master and danger."

"And took a bullet for your trouble," Ra's rumbled. "Not even a member of the League and you risked your life for mine."

"Bad habit," Oliver fired back. "Forming attachments to people when I shouldn't. Ask Slade. He'll tell you all about it."

Both Ra's and Thea let out low sounds and Oliver could tell neither was amused by his attempt at a joke, Thea even poked him in the ribs, making him grunt and give her a playful shove.

Ra's, still holding Oliver's hand, tugged his mate back towards him, their shoulders bumping and Oliver smiled at him.

"Uggh," Thea groaned. "No offence but you two are kind of nauseating."

Oliver couldn't help but chuckle.

It was hardly the first time he had heard that.

"Not apologizing for that," Oliver chuckled again and smirked at Thea. "You wait, Speedy, you'll find someone one day and...and then you'll get it."

Thea rolled her eyes slightly but Oliver saw the slight dusting of pink rising in her cheeks and he remembered the way she was with Roy, how the pair were usually connected at the hip. He couldn't help but smile. He liked Roy, even if the kid had a bit of a hero complex, and he liked how good he had been to and for Thea. He let out a soft sound as he bumped his shoulder against Thea's, earning a playful grin from his sister.

"Okay, so you took a bullet for him," Thea said, suddenly trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Then what?"

"I healed and," Oliver glanced at Ra's, grinning faintly. "Continued training." They came to a stop, waiting for a light to change so they could cross the street. "Though Ra's seemed to take more interest in training me personally."

Thea glanced at the older Alpha.

"I'm willing to bet you don't do that sort of thing often."

"That, Miss Queen, is a bet you would win," Ra's chuckled even as he looked at Oliver. "It is rare that I find an initiate that I feel worthy of my personal tutelage. But there was something about Oliver that seemed different. Special, if you will."

Thea snorted. "You'd probably be the first teacher Oliver's had to say that."

Ra's chuckled causing Oliver to give his Alpha a sharp look, before he continued his story.

"So I continued training," he said as the light finally changed and they crossed the street. "And...And during that time I...I found myself growing close to certain members of the League. Nyssa and Al Sayf among them. It...It wasn't something I had planned on doing. I'd...I'd lost so many people...too many...and I didn't..."

Thea took her brother's hand, giving him a soft look.

"You didn't want to risk letting someone in again only to lose them," she surmised and Oliver nodded, smiling a little ruefully.

"So, even though I had let Nyssa and Al Sayf in, I was determined to not get close to anyone else." He glanced at Ra's, grinning a bit. "That failed." He chuckled at the look his mate gave him. "I eventually realized I had feelings for Ra's. Tried like hell to bury them."

"That clearly failed," Thea snickered, glancing at Ra's. "Tell me he was at least glaringly obvious about his crush."

The elder Alpha chuckled and shook his head. "Surprisingly, Miss Queen, your brother was discreet about his feelings. It wasn't until...well...an incident with a potential new initiate that that was no longer the case."

"What incident?"

Oliver sighed softly and looked at his sister.

"A man, probably around Dad's age, came to Nanda Parbat, seeking to become part of the League." He felt a cold shiver roll down his spine at the memory. "He bore witness to Ra's' demonstration and was found worthy of being an initiate. During a training session which Ra's was overseeing personally the man...he proved to not be just a seeker of justice."

He drew a deep breath and felt Ra's through their Bond, felt the love and support blaze through him.

"He was from another group...a branch of the League that, centuries ago, had broken off. Unlike the League they...they're methods...it's all about power and gain. Not balance and justice." Oliver drew a deep breath and glanced at Ra's. "The man waited until Ra's was close enough and tried to kill him."

"Tried?" Thea's nose wrinkled slightly, confusion dancing over her face. "What do you mean?"

Oliver took her hand and laid it against his side, right below his ribs, where on of the worst scars he bore was.

"I saw the blade and stepped between them. I...I don't really remember much...the blade was coated in poison." His cheeks turned a faint pink as a blush crawled up his neck. "But I do remember babbling about loving Ra's and being glad to have saved him again and..." Oliver cleared his throat. "And a lot of other things that aren't important."

"It was a miracle you didn't get yourself killed for me," Ra's rumbled as he gave Oliver a soft look. "A grander miracle was that you accepted my courting at all after nearly dying."

"Wow, back up a minute," Thea said, looking from Ra's to Oliver and back again. "Ollie almost died?!"

"I was nearly gutted," Oliver explained as gently as he could. "With a poisoned blade. I teetered for...for a long time on the edge of life and death, Speedy."

He yelped when she unexpectedly punched him in the shoulder. "What the hell was that for?!"

Thea growled faintly.

"For acting like almost dying is no big deal!"

"It's not," Oliver started but wisely tried to derail the situation when Thea growled again. "I mean...it's...I..." He looked at Ra's. "I would not be upset if you tried to help right now."

Ra's grinned and shrugged. "I think your sister has a point she is trying to make."

"So helpful," Oliver groused as he turned his attention back to his sister. "Thea...it's not...it's..." He drew a deep breath. "I'm sorry, okay? I just...I don't make my...near death experiences a big deal because...to me...they're not. Not when I've been through so many."

Thea growled again and looked away from him, flipping her hair over her shoulder, her shoulders tense for a long moment before she finally sighed, giving him a sideways glare.

"It may not be a big deal to you, Ollie, but...but you died on me once, remember? Or at least I thought you did. I'm not really up to facing that sort of thing again."

Oliver let out a soft sound and released Ra's hand in order to reach out and pull Thea into a tight hug, nuzzling gently at her hair even as she tucked her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said softly against her temple. "I know...I know it bothers you and I...I can't promise I won't...I won't get hurt that badly again but...but I'll do everything I can to always come back. I promise, Speedy."

Thea huffed and Oliver pretended not to notice how she sniffled. "You'd better," she grumbled as she slowly stepped back. "You're going to be a dad, dummy. You've got more than...than just me and Ra's to come back to, you know?"

Oliver smiled and pressed a kiss to Thea's temple again before they continued on their way.

"Okay," Thea said as she looked at Ra's. "You said something about it being a miracle he accepted your courting."

Ra's nodded, looping his arm around Oliver's waist, tugging his mate closer, smiling softly.

"After he saved my life for the second time I realized that he was not the only one with feelings that had been hidden. I had long tried to ignore my interest, my desire, for Oliver. But in that moment, when he lay in my arms, fighting to live, I realized that I would be dishonouring him if I did not at least show the same bravery he had shown. So, when he was healed, I began to court him."

Oliver snorted. "If you could call it that."

Thea frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Oliver grinned as he looked from Ra's to Thea.

"It was...sort of old school courting. Like how our grandfather would have courted."

Thea chewed her lip and Ra's saw the mirth in her eyes.

"In my defence, Miss Queen," the elder Alpha said. "I am an old fashioned man at heart. I was raised...differently. Traditions are deeply important to me and my people."

Thea gave a slight nod. "I can't imagine Oliver understood everything you did."

Ra's chuckled and gave Oliver a tender smile.

"He did not."

Oliver rolled his eyes. "I got the point. Eventually."

"Only after, I'm given to understand, Al Sayf explained some of the traditions to you."

Oliver huffed but it was Thea who spoke.

"Well you obviously figured things out, I mean...you Bonded after all."

Ra's and Oliver shared a glance and the Omega gave a slow sigh.

"That almost didn't happen," Oliver admitted and Thea frowned, giving both her brother and his mate a confused look.

"Why?"

"Because..." Oliver swallowed thickly. "Because of Al Sayf."

Thea's nose wrinkled. "Tall, dark and cryptic? What's he got to do with anything?"

"After I nearly died saving Ra's...Al Sayf was the one who tended to me. It's...It's part of his duties. Tending to the dying. By some miracle I survived and during my recovery we...we grew close. Close enough that...when he realized Ra's was courting me...he decided to do the same. But...doing so...he broke ancient laws. And vows he had sworn."

"He..." Thea shook her head. "Why? I mean...not that you're not amazing, Ollie, but...but if it meant breaking laws and stuff why..."

"The same reason," Ra's suddenly said, drawing her attention. "I suspect that I myself fell in love with Oliver. The same reason many have come to love and cherish him." His smile slowly widened. "Oliver was... _is_...a ray of light in darkness. He brings with him light and love and compassion. Accepting even when others would turn away. He is everything so many strive, yet fail, to be."

Oliver felt his cheeks heat up as the blush returned to his face. "Ra's..."

Ra's smiled at him, hugging him tighter to his side, pressing a quick kiss to his mate's cheek.

"Oliver is special among the League," Ra's said, still smiling. " He brought something to...to many of the League that they did not before have or had thought lost to them. I believe young Chase said it best. He is our heart."

Oliver couldn't help but smile even as Thea tucked herself against his side.

"Sounds like Ollie alright," she said with a bright smile.


	46. Chapter 46

Sitting in a back booth at Big Belly Burger Oliver watched as his sister introduced his mate to how much better French fries tasted when dipped in a milkshake first. Ra's had been hesitant at first but, after the first few fries, the Alpha had seemed to accept that Thea had been right. There didn't seem to be a right word to properly describe what Oliver felt as he watched his mate and sister connect so well but he liked it.

Snatching a fry from Ra's plate he grinned when the Alpha shot him a glare with no true heat behind it, a small smile playing across his face.

"So," Thea said, dunking her fry in her milkshake again. "You were saying something about him," she gestured towards Ra's with the same fry. "And his weird courting behaviour. So what was so weird about it?"

Oliver snorted. "What do you think of as typical courting behaviour, Speedy?"

Thea shrugged, popping her fry into her mouth, chewing loudly.

"I don't know," she said after swallowing her food. "Gifts. Food. Go on a few dates. You know all normal stuff."

"Well there were gifts," Oliver said as he looked at Ra's, who was now grinning at him. "But God knows they weren't the normal courting gifts I'd grown up expecting."

"I am not to be blamed for you being raised in Western culture, _habib_ ," Ra's retorted, sipping at his milkshake.

Oliver rolled his eyes.

"You could have been a little more direct about it."

"You forget I am, how did Chase once put it? Older than dirt?"

Oliver snorted into his milkshake and Thea snickered.

"Yeah, well, a Persian lynx is not a normal courting gift, _'iishraq_ ," Oliver replied, perhaps a bit more sassily than he'd intended but there it was.

Thea coughed as she choked on a bite of her burger.

"I'm sorry," she said once she finally caught her breath. "But did you just say he gave you a lynx?!" She looked at Ra's, eyes wide. "An honest to God lynx?!"

Ra's nodded as though it was perfectly ordinary.

"It is custom among my people that one of the first gifts we give when courting is a cat. It is meant to symbolize ones ability to provide for our intended."

Thea's nose wrinkled. "How's that?"

"Cats are natural hunters. They keep grain stores and homes free of pests," Oliver explained. "Pests that can carry illnesses and stuff. Giving a cat is a way of saying the home will be protected. It's...It's an old tradition. Real old."

"But a lynx?" Thea looked at Ra's again. "Seriously?"

Ra's shrugged.

"It is...difficult...in Nanda Parbat to find a common house cat. And I felt a lynx was more suited to Oliver."

Again Oliver snorted even as Thea looked at the older man like he'd just grown a second head.

"How is Banu, anyways?" Oliver grabbed a few more fries from Ra's plate, getting his fingers tapped, lightly, for his trouble.

"Moody," Ra's replied with a gentle smile. "She misses you."

"Wait, wait, wait," Thea shook her head, looking from Ra's to Oliver. "You _kept_ the lynx?!"

Oliver shrugged. "She was cute as a kitten," he said as though he was speaking of a normal house cat and not a dangerous predator.

"Oh my god, you're nuts." Thea shook her head. "Okay...Okay...what else did he do that was crazy?"

Oliver gave Ra's a look, even as he rested his hand over his Alpha's, grinning a tiny bit.

"He stopped touching me."

Thea's nose wrinkled. "What?"

"Apparently in the tribe he was born to touching someone you intended to court or Bond with was forbidden. It was taken as a sign that you were respecting their personal being."

Ra's lips quirked upwards. "In my defence..."

Oliver shook his head.

"Nope. There is no defence for that one." He snatched another fry from his mate's tray. "It was weird and confused the hell out of me more than anything else you did. I thought for so long that I'd done something wrong and offended you or something."

Ra's laced his fingers with Oliver's for a moment before lifting the Omega's hand, brushing a soft kiss to the back of his mate's knuckles.

Thea fake gagged and Oliver chuckled as he flicked a fry at her.

She retaliated by peeling a pickle from her burger and tossing it at his face, chuckling when it stuck to his cheek, smearing mustard and ketchup there. Oliver growled faintly and had just reached for another fry when Ra's let out a low rumble.

"Perhaps, children," Ra's said with a quirked eyebrow. "We might act our ages."

Oliver gave his mate a look even as he grabbed a napkin and wiped the mess from his cheek but it was Thea who spoke.

"Does that mean you're going to act older than dirt?"

There was silence for a moment before both Oliver and Thea began laughing.

Ra's gave them a look that, likely, was meant to be scolding but the tender smile on his face ruined any attempt at looking like the fierce leader who inspired awe and fear. Oliver recovered quicker than Thea and gave his mate a soft look, pushing his love for the older man through their Bond and Ra's rumbled faintly, pushing back with his own love and joy at seeing Oliver so happy and at ease. They smiled at one another until Thea finally stopped giggling and looked at her brother.

"Okay, so we've established he," she nodded at Ra's. "Did some incredible weird, possibly stupid, things. But what about tall, dark and cryptic? You said he courted you too. What did he do to try and woo you?"

Ra's huffed and his attention shifting back to his food, but Oliver still felt the warmth and love through their Bond. He smiled at his mate's antics, knowing it was all for show even if a few years earlier it had been less so. He, and other members of the League, had thought at one time that things between Ra's and Al Sayf would never be as they once had been. But Oliver had strived to remind them that the League was stronger with them unified rather than divided and, after a great deal of time, the two had come to once again share mutual respect.

Drawing a deep breath he focused again on Thea.

"Al Sayf's tactics were...definitely odd. One was down right creepy."

Thea, burger half raised to her mouth, froze, eyes going a little wide.

"What?"

Oliver sighed and slumped back in his seat. "He called it night hunting."

Thea frowned and set her burger down.

"Night hunting? Like...He took you hunting at night or something?"

"See, that I might have been okay with," Oliver shook his head. "No, night hunting is...well...when you sneak into the house or bedroom of your intended, spend the night and then leave without them knowing you were there."

Thea blinked.

Her mouth opened then closed.

She repeated the action a few times before she seemed to finally find her voice.

"Ollie, no offence to your friend, but that is seriously fucking creepy."

Ra's grinned and Oliver aimed a kick at his mate's shin.

"It was," the Omega said. "It was creepier the night I woke up to find him next to my bed."

The faint growl that bubbled up from Ra's caused Thea to look at him quickly and Oliver sighed, feeling his mate's jealousy burn through their Bond.

"Perhaps that statement should be you woke to find him _in_ the bed with you, _habib_."

Thea's eyes went wide and her head snapped around so she was staring at Oliver.

" _What_?!"

Oliver sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face, pretending not to notice the few other late night patrons shooting them confused and questioning looks, before he slumped slightly in his seat.

"It wasn't that bad," he tried to reason but Ra's snorted.

"They heard your scream at the main gatehouse, _habib_."

Oliver gave his mate a look that lacked any heat and he had just opened his mouth to speak when Thea beat him to it.

"Tell me you didn't honestly consider Bonding to that guy," she said, giving her brother a questioning look. "Because, Ollie, that is seriously messed up."

When he didn't answer her she let out a high pitched sound like an angry cat.

"Oliver!"

Oliver shrugged and tried to make it seem as though it was not a big deal but Thea rumbled again.

"Ollie, I don't care how hot the guy is, and he is hot, that sort of thing is crazy!"

"But it's not," Oliver tried to reason. "Not to Al Sayf. It's a tradition of his tribe, a part of who his people are. It's just...It's like Ra's said. We were raised with a different culture, Speedy."

Thea huffed and shook her head. "Still damn creepy, Ollie."

The Omega couldn't help but smile.

"I won't argue that," he said, still smiling. "But...But I don't hold any of it against them. It's part of them." He looked at Ra's. "Part of us."

Ra's rumbled faintly and brushed his fingertips over Oliver's wrist, feeling the quick flutter of his mate's pulse.

Thea regarded them silently and Oliver couldn't being to fathom what she could possibly be thinking but when she finally smiled, shaking her head, he felt some part of him relax.

"Not gonna lie, Ollie," she said, pointing at him with one of her fries. "But your life is seriously weird."

Oliver burst out laughing.

He'd often thought the same thing.


	47. Chapter 47

Sara sat at the bar of _Verdant_ , glaring down at the cast wrapped around her hand, wishing she had a knife or something to throw. She had told the hospital staff that a patron at the club had gotten rough before the bouncers had intervened. She suspected at least one nurse hadn't believed her but no one had questioned her much further once Diggle had backed up her story.

Diggle had wanted her to go home, to rest, but she hadn't been able to shake the lingering adrenaline so she had returned to the club. She'd tried, for a while, to sit in the foundry but every shadow made her slightly jumpy and she'd eventually retreated to the brightly lit club. 

A half empty glass of vodka sat on the bar top next to her elbow and, if not for the pain killers the doctor had insisted she take before he began setting her hand, she probably would have downed the entire bottle. As it was she was feeling slightly fuzzy, the alcohol and pain killers not mixing well, and was beginning to think she shouldn't have insisted Diggle and the others leave. Blinking, trying to find the strength to stand, she paused when she heard approaching footsteps.

Growing faintly she grabbed the fruit knife from the bar top.

"Come to finish the job," she spat as she whirled around, ready to fight, even with a broken hand, only to still when she saw Nyssa slowly approaching her. "Nyssa?"

"Hello, Sara."

Sara bristled slightly.

"If you've come to apologize for your father's flunkies save it."

Nyssa let out a soft sound but didn't stop moving until she was standing closer to Sara, nearly within the same breathing space.

"While I did come to apologize it is not for what they did," she replied gently. "Though it grieves me to see you suffer needlessly, I did come to apologize."

Sara's nose wrinkled as she slowly lowered the knife, dropping it back on the bar top, watching Nyssa warily.

"For what?"

"For not guessing at what they would do. For not protecting you from their wrath."

Sara snorted. "Wasn't their wrath so much as the kid's."

Nyssa regarded her for barely a heartbeat.

"So Al Sayf did not lie then. He did not touch you."

Sara snorted again and shook her head.

"Something tells me if the big guy had wanted to hurt me it would have been worse than a broken hand."

Nyssa let out a soft sound. An Omega sound. Sweet and comforting. And, despite their shared dynamic, Sara couldn't help but lean slightly towards the other woman.

"That is true," Nyssa agreed, reaching out and gently cradling Sara's broken hand between hers. Though still enraged at Al Sayf and Chase she knew the boy would have made certain the breaks were clean. "Al Sayf's...justice," she spat the word, for what her sword brothers had done was not justice but vengeance. "Would have been more severe."

"Now doesn't that just make me feel warm and fuzzy," Sara snarked as she leaned back against the bar, her body still feeling odd with the combination she'd had of alcohol and pain killers, careful not to pull her hand from Nyssa's hold. Not because she was worried about hurting herself further but because she found she quite liked the idea of holding Nyssa's hand, even if there was a firm layer of plaster between their hands.

Nyssa's lips twitched slightly at the sarcasm she heard in Sara's voice. Though despite the sarcasm she heard no true rage in the blonde's tone. There was anger there, yes, but not the rage she'd expected. There was also a hint of fear. She had seen it in Sara's reaction to her sudden appearance. But there was still the fierce warrior beating at Sara's core. Driving her. Not just to defend herself but, perhaps, to not only blame Al Sayf and Chase for what happened here tonight.

"If you seek retribution," Nyssa replied calmly. "My father has already punished them. Dislocated and broken sword arms. It will quite some time before they properly wield weapons again."

Sara studied her for a minute, searching for something, and then she let out a low sound.

"Why, when you say _them_ , doesn't it sound like you mean the two who came here?"

"Al Sayf bore the punishment for Malak's actions," Nyssa confirmed with a slight nod of her head, though she hesitated briefly before continuing. "Though he did not bear it alone."

Sara inhaled sharply. "Ollie, he didn't..."

Nyssa quickly shook her head, trying to reassure the blonde.

"Even if he offered my father would not have accepted. Not when Oliver is pregnant."

Sara blinked. Opened her mouth and then closed it again. When she found her voice it was high pitched and more than a little shaky.

"Oliver's _pregnant_?!"

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Slade sat in the spare bedroom of the apartment, arm neatly bandaged and splinted. Say what he would about the League and their archaic methods they certainly knew how to treat injuries. Between the splints and the herbal tea he barely felt the pain of the broken bones. Leaning back against the wall, legs sprawl out before him, mindful not to jostle his arm, he thought about what he still had to do in order to save his life.

Swear an oath to the Head of the Demon and take a mate.

Some wouldn't see that as a fair trade.

Part of him didn't think it was.

But when he closed his eyes he could see Oliver staring up at him, eyes pleading, begging him to live, to not leave him again.

He'd hurt the kid enough.

He'd be damned if he willingly did it again.

Drawing a deep breath he slowly opened his eyes, not surprised when the door opened and Chase slipped into the room. The pup still had that damn guilty look in his eyes. And, if Slade was perfectly honest with himself, it was starting to piss him off. Sighing softly, mindful not to jostle his arm, he shifted the way he was sitting just enough to leave a gap big enough for the pup to settle on his good side.

"Come here," he grumbled, nodding to the space next to him, watching as Chase slowly shuffled over, climbing just as slowly onto the bed.

Rolling his eyes the Omega reached over and tugged Chase a little closer. He knew the pup blamed himself, could see it in those bright eyes, but that wasn't what he wanted.

"Not your fault, you know," he rumbled softly, fingers brushing slightly through Chase's hair, he kept the touch light and gentle. "Made my choice, didn't I?"

"If I hadn't..."

"Had to start making amends somewhere," Slade cut in quickly, not wanting to hear the pup run himself into the ground. It was too much like what Oliver had done, those first few months on the island, and he'd barely had the patience for it then. God knew he didn't have any for it now. Especially not from this little pup. "Seems like this is a good place to start."

Chase let out a low sound. An Alpha sound. One meant to comfort but there was an underlying hint of guilt.

"But..."

Slade turned his dark gaze, limited as it was, on Chase and the pup immediately fell silent.

"This," he jerked his chin towards his broken arm. "Was as much about me taking responsibility as it was about making certain the pup Oliver loves so much didn't come to harm simply for trying to do what was right."

Chase blinked.

"So...So you think I was right?"

The words were barely whispered but they made Slade huff all the same.

"Pup, if I still had that fucking serum in me I'd have ripped that skinny bitch's head off and kicked it across the harbour." Slade grinned slightly. "Problem is Oliver wouldn't have appreciated that anymore than he likely appreciates what you did. Heart might be in the right place but he wouldn't condone any of it."

Chase looked thoughtful for a moment.

"It's...It's not like I enjoyed hurting her," he admitted quietly. "I just...she hurt Oliver. And no one did anything about that."

Slade couldn't help but slip his arm around Chase, tugging the young Alpha closer, tucking him against his side. Like he'd done countless times with Oliver but this felt different. He couldn't explain it but with Oliver it had been all about protecting the younger Omega. Wanting to safeguard and shield him from the filth of the world that hadn't yet touched him or his soul. With Chase he wanted to stand, side by side, warriors, brothers in arms. It felt like what he'd shared with Wintergreen before the man had turned on him. But it also felt different from that. He didn't want to examine it too closely. So instead he just kept his arm around the young Alpha and pretending anything he felt was from the painkillers still coursing through his system.

"We protect those we love," the Omega murmured as the bedroom door opened again, Al Sayf slipping in, silent as a shadow, his presence barely noticeable. "What we do to protect them doesn't always make sense but we do it anyways."

Al Sayf rumbled at that and murmured something in Arabic that made Chase grin and Slade immediately bared his teeth.

"Wanna try that again, dickhead?"

Al Sayf rolled his eyes but there was an almost fond smile gracing his face as he made his way over to the bed, slowly sinking down to sit on the floor.

"I said you are not the heartless monster so many believe you to be," the older Alpha said as he leaned back, resting his weight against the bed.

Slade grunted but resisted the urge to kick the big Alpha in the head. The man had, after all, stepped up to the plate for Chase too and, despite his smartass nature, the man wasn't all that bad.

"You two bicker like an old Bonded couple," Chase snickered. "It's kind of adorable."

Al Sayf shot the younger Alpha a look that, though sharp, lacked any true heat.

"Brat," the elder Alpha rumbled but a thin smile graced his face.

Slade couldn't help but chuckle even as a surprisingly comfortable silence settled around them. Chase remained tucked against his side and, after a few minutes, Al Sayf reached up and curled his hand around Slade's ankle, fingers rubbing light circles.

Slade still wasn't convinced joining the League, taking a new Alpha, was the right choice but, all things considered, this wasn't so bad.


	48. Chapter 48

Leaving Big Belly Burger, Ra's holding his hand, Thea tucked beneath his arm, Oliver felt lighter, freer, than he had in ages. He could feel his mate's love through the Bond and couldn't help but push back with his own feelings of love, joy and contentment. He caught the way Ra's smiled and felt warmth spread through him. He knew things would still be difficult for them, they would face who knew what, but, for the first time in nearly a year, he felt like they could face whatever came their way and conquer it.

And Thea spoke, bring his mind back to something he had been dreading since first realizing he was pregnant.

"What are you going to tell Mom?"

Oliver's heart leapt into his throat and he would never admit that a trickle of fear rolled down his spine. He had seen how ruthless his mother could be. He had seen the lengths she would, and could, go to when it came to doing something she thought was right. She had threatened the League, had threatened Ra's, to have him released from an oath he was no longer bound to. She had threatened the very people who had sheltered him. The people who had given him a family and home when he had had nothing. The people who he would fight, would kill, would _die_ , to defend.

So how could he trust that Moira's reaction to his pregnancy would be any better than her reaction to him being a member of the League?

Thea immediately picked up on the change in his mood and frowned, looking up at him with concern.

"Ollie?"

He drew a quick breath and shook his head. "I'm not sure if telling Mom is a good idea, Speedy."

Thea's frown deepened, her concern giving way to confusion.

"What? But...Ollie..."

"She threatened the League," Ollie quickly interjected before his gaze cut to Ra's, his mate was oddly silent but he felt the love and support the Alpha pushed through the Bond. "She threatened Ra's." He felt Thea tense as he slowly turned his attention back to her. "I can't...I..." He shook his head. "She only recently learned of my connection to the League and clearly did not take that well. How well do you suppose she would take the news of my pregnancy? Especially when my pup's father is the leader of the League?"

Thea opened her mouth to reply but then her nose wrinkled again. Confusion etched deeper on her face.

"Mom knows about you being an assassin?"

Oliver felt his heart leap.

Well that cat was out of the bag it seemed.

He sighed softly and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, Speedy, she knows."

"But...But how? You said...You didn't want her to know...anything...about your time away. How does she..."

"Malcolm Merlyn."

Thea let out a low sound and there was a flash of anger in her gaze. "What does that murdering piece of shit have to do with it?"

"Because Malcolm Merlyn was once a member of the League," Ra's was the one to answer as they rounded a corner, slowly head back towards the safe house. "He was Al Sa-her. The Magician. And, though he was released from his oath, his actions with his Undertaking have marked him for death."

Thea made a confused sound and shook her head.

"Merlyn...he died...the night of the Undertaking."

Oliver sighed. "No, he didn't, Speedy." He looked at his sister. "Mom contacted the League about him being alive. She knew he still posed a threat. To her. To all of us. The League has been hunting him ever since. It's probably the only reason he hasn't surfaced in the city again."

Thea growled, faintly, and pressed a little closer to Oliver.

"If he knows what's good for him he'll crawl under a rock and stay there," she rumbled faintly. "He...He killed hundreds of people. He killed _Tommy_."

The way Thea emphasized Tommy's name reminded Oliver that, in the months before Tommy's death, Thea had become close to the man who, once, had been Oliver's best friend, even taking him on as the manager of _Verdant_. Losing him had cut another hole in her heart. One that Oliver wasn't convinced had fully healed but, he hoped, in time it would.

"We will find him, Miss Queen," Ra's assured her gently. "And he will answer for his crimes. All of them."

Thea nodded but Oliver could still feel the tension in her body and he immediately, reflexively, nuzzled at her hair, rumbling softly, trying to offer a wordless comfort. His sister huffed softly and nudged at him with her shoulder even as she looped her arm around his waist. They continued to walk in silence for a few minutes before Thea spoke again.

"I still think you should tell Mom, Ollie."

Oliver's nose wrinkled and he glanced at his mate.

Ra's merely shrugged and Oliver huffed.

_Great help there_ , the Omega thought before turning his attention to Thea again.

"Speedy..."

"She's our _mom_ , Ollie," Thea cut in quickly, giving Oliver a look he'd often seen her use on Roy. A look meant to make whomever she used it on see her point of view and agree with her. He was a little ashamed to admit to himself that it was working. "She deserves to know she's going to be a grandmother."

Oliver sighed.

"Thea..."

"Your sister may have a point, _habib_."

Oliver's head snapped around and he stared, slack jawed, at his mate.

"You..." He let out a confused noise. "Wha..."

"Close your mouth, _habib_ ," Ra's mused, smiling slightly as Thea giggled. "You'll catch flies." Oliver huffed but his mouth quickly closed. "I am not suggesting we go to your mother's this very moment to make the declaration of your pregnancy, I am merely saying that, as your mother, she has a certain right to know you will be making her a grandmother. Even if she has little contact with her grandchild I imagine she would still like to know she has one."

Oliver stared at his mate, trying to think of something that would derail this nightmare, but Thea giggled again.

"You got to love his diplomatic approach, Ollie."

Oliver rolled his eyes and shook his head before sighing.

"Fine," he grumbled. "Fine. But...But tomorrow. I just...I just want to go back and...and sleep on things. Hell, sleep in general sounds like a good idea right now. The best, really."

Ra's was quick to nod and, despite his calm demeanour, Oliver felt the small trickle of concern through the Bond. He immediately squeezed his mate's hand, sending reassurance through the Bond, wanting his mate to know that nothing was wrong, that he was truly just tired. Ra's squeezed his hand back and they continued on their way. As they reached the safe house Oliver glanced at Thea.

"Are you staying tonight or..."

Thea shook her head. "I think I best get hold of Roy and let him know everything's okay. Don't need him flipping out. Not with that crap running through his veins still."

Oliver let out a soft sound.

"There's...Well...There's a cure for the Mirakuru, Speedy."

Thea blinked.

"Say again?"

"Sara, she had someone work up a cure. I...I'm sure she's given it to Roy by now..." Oliver was stunned when Thea suddenly pulled away from him, spinning on her heels and started to storm off. "Thea!"

"Sorry," she called over her shoulder. "But you just told me there's a cure for the shit that could have turned my boyfriend into a murderous lunatic. No way in hell am I doing anything before I make sure he gets that damn cure!"

Oliver watched her go, seeing how she dug in her pocket for her phone, and glanced at Ra's, who was grinning faintly before his mate's dark gaze lifted to the shadows above them. Oliver followed his gaze and, thanks to his training, he saw Talibah shadowing Thea. No harm would come to Thea before she found Roy, he knew, Talibah would make certain of that.

Smiling softly Oliver turned, letting Ra's lead him back inside and up the stairs to the apartment.

Everything was quiet and Oliver glanced around, noting the absence of Slade, Chase and Al Sayf and, when he looked at Sayad, the man nodded towards the other bedroom and gave the barest hint of a smile. Oliver sighed softly in relief, he was glad that Slade wasn't causing trouble, that he was, it seemed, trying to get along with at least some of the League, even as he headed towards the other bedroom. He didn't pay any true attention to Ra's, the Alpha giving his men orders no doubt, as once in the room he stripped off his jacket and proceeded to drop onto the bed.

The pillow still smelled of him and Ra's.

He let out a low sound and nuzzled his face into the pillow, inhaling deeply, ignoring the soft chuckle, his mate's, as the bedroom door quietly clicked shut.

He murmured softly as the bed dipped and Ra's arms wrapped around him, his mate nuzzling at his neck, rumbling contentedly. He relaxed completely and felt Ra's smile against his neck even as the Alpha's hand rubbed over his abdomen. He hummed softly and reached down to cover his mate's hand with his own.

"You realize it's too early to feel the pup yet, right," he teased lightly and Ra's huffed.

"It is never too early for that," his mate countered, still smiling. "Never."

Oliver felt love and warmth bloom fresh in his heart and he pushed those feelings, and more, through the Bond, watching the way Ra's face lit up, watching the love dance in his mate's eyes. This, this was what had been missing in his life, in his heart and soul, as the months he had been on the run. This feeling of contentment and love. This feeling of being at home. Turning in Ra's arms he cuddled in close and looped his arms around the Alpha, nuzzling at the man's neck, smiling.

"I'm glad you came after me," the Omega whispered as Ra's brushed a hand over the short strands of his hair. "And I promise I'll never run again."

Ra's rumbled softly and hugged Oliver tighter. "I promise, _habib_ , to never give you reason to run."

Oliver smiled against his mate's neck and closed his eyes, breathing in his mate's scent, hearing his heart beat, steady and strong, and let it lull him to the first truly restful night sleep he'd had in ages.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Sayad waited until his master and Oliver were settled before he and Al Thi'b slipped from the safe house, trusting their brothers to safeguard the place until their return. They had their mission, their orders, from the Demon's Head and they would not fail.

They parted ways on the street but both that was how it was to be.

They would regroup before returning to the safe  
house.

Al Thi'b headed across the Glades, heading for the bustling upper streets of the city, his target fresh in his mind. Isabel Rochev. One of Slade Wilson's accomplices in his attempt to destroy Sara Lance.

Sayad headed in the opposite direction, out of the Glades as well but towards the lower district. His own target no less important that his brother's. Sebastian Blood. The second of Wilson's accomplices and the man running against Oliver's mother for mayor. The man who was responsible for the recreated Mirakuru serum.

Before dawn both would be dead.

Both from seemingly accidental deaths.

It was part of Slade Wilson's atonement. He had given up the information to Sayad willingly, saying that if his accomplices were not stopped they would carry on his work with or without him. Both Rochev and Blood were threats, not only to this city, but to the world. Especially if either learned of Wilson's change of heart. So the Demon's Head, upon learning this, had given the order. Simple and direct.

Rochev and Blood were dead.

The moment Wilson had given Sayad their names.

Even if Ra's had not called for their deaths.

All that was left now was to bring them to their final moment.


	49. Chapter 49

Sayad was lingering in the shadows of the rooftop of the safe house, hours after he and his brother had left, waiting for Al Thi'b to return. He had not heard from Al Thi'b. And that worried him. Al Thi'b was a seasoned warrior. Taking out one corporate businesswoman should not have been a challenge. And it certainly should not have delayed the other man so much. Dawn was fast approaching and Sayad knew if Al Thi'b did not return soon he would need to hunt for the man.

Hand curling around the hilt of the sword at his waist he turned, about to leave, to go searching for his wayward brother, when a dark figure, hidden by the linger shadows of the early morning, dropped down from the higher roof of the next building. Even in the darkness Sayad recognized Al Thi'b.

He also recognized the way the man limped, favouring his left leg, one arm wrapped around his midsection and breathing wheezier than it should have been.

"Brother," Sayad stepped forward, thinking to offer support, but Al Thi'b, always so stoic, waved him off.

"It is nothing," Al Thi'b murmured, reaching up and tugging his mask down, revealing a bruised and bloodied face. "Wilson's accomplice...she was trained. That was not expected."

Sayad rumbled faintly.

Slade had failed to mention that Rochev was trained. And, it seemed, trained enough to deliver injury to a man who had killed countless numbers for the League and the Demon's Head.

Part of him wanted to beat Slade for failing to provide all key pieces of information but, reason dictated, the man could not have known how far Ra's al Ghul would be willing to go to ensure all loose ends had been tied off for the newest member of the League, and Slade was certainly part of the League now, even if he had not yet sworn his oath or taken a League member as a mate as commanded by the Demon's Head. The moment Slade had chosen to bare part of Chase's punishment he had been a brother.

Dismissing Slade's lapse in judgement Sayad focused on Al Thi'b.

"Despite this surprise your mission was successful?"

Al Thi'b nodded, wincing lightly, nose wrinkling as a sharp breath hissed from between his teeth.

"It had to be made to look a botched home invasion," he replied, the cut in his lip opening again, a thin trickle of blood oozing sluggishly from the split in the flesh. "But I carried out our master's command. The woman is dead." He gave Sayad a searching look. "And the other?"

"Dead as well. Fell down his stairs."

Al Thi'b grinned, despite the obvious discomfort it caused his battered face. "Good," he said softly, swaying slightly, his injuries finally beginning to get the best of him.

Sayad nodded, reaching out and touching Al Thi'b's arm, surprised that the man allowed it, that he even leaned into him, using him to help take pressure off of his clearly injured leg.

"We should get you cleaned up, brother," Sayad said softly, guiding Al Thi'b towards the roof access door. "A hot bath, perhaps, and some food."

Al Thi'b huffed, wincing when the action pulled at his battered ribs. "The bath is welcome. But, in truth, I merely wish to check on _Habib_ and then sleep until we can return home."

Sayad nodded, knowing better than to argue. Al Thi'b could be stubborn, especially so when he was injured, and he was more concerned with getting the man patched up rather than wasting time bickering with him. No one in the apartment questioned their sudden reappearance. Or Al Thi'b's injuries. They merely offered their aid even though Al Thi'b waved them off, muttering that he could handle his own affairs, and, though Sayad knew that was the case, he still lingered as Al Thi'b tended to his injuries.

When the man was finished he carefully lowered himself onto the couch and closed his eyes. Sayad waited a moment before easing himself to the floor near by, settling in to watch over Al Thi'b as he rested.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Slade woke with a soft groan, his shoulder and arm throbbing, an immediate reminder of his injury and he started to move, trying to remember to use his good arm, only to still again when he felt a weight beside him. Cracking his eye open he blinked as he found himself staring at Chase's sleeping face. In sleep the pup looked so much younger than the Omega knew him to be.

Slade took the time to study the pup's face.

The boy wasn't handsome, not in the rough, hardened way Oliver or Al Sayf was, but rather he had a softer, gentler beauty to him.

Reaching up with his good hand Slade couldn't help but run his fingers over the pup's check before reaching out to tuck a few strands of the pup's hair behind his ear before rubbing his thumb over Chase's smooth cheek.

He thought about the pup's offer, to Bond with him, and again felt that it would be a waste. Chase deserved someone better than him. Someone younger. Someone who wasn't so damaged.

He grunted when someone suddenly pinched his thigh.

Shooting a look over his shoulder he found Al Sayf watching him knowingly.

"What," he growled faintly, not wanting to wake Chase, as Al Sayf surprisingly rubbed his fingertips over the spot where he had pinched the Omega.

"Do you know your face projects your thoughts?" Al Sayf arched an eyebrow at him. "Clear as day."

Slade grunted and looked back at Chase.

"He shouldn't be stuck with someone like me," the Omega whispered. "He deserves..." His nose wrinkled. "He deserves someone like Oliver. Someone good. Kind. Warm and tender. He only offered because he doesn't want Oliver to be hurt if Ra's were to kill me."

Al Sayf let out a low sound and Slade half expected the older man to pinch him again but the Alpha merely sighed and shook his head.

"That may be so," Al Sayf admitted. "But Chase, for all that he is not Oliver's blood, is much the same as him. He does nothing halfway and always for a more noble reason. It is not only Oliver he seeks to shield from harm."

Slade rumbled as he looked at Chase again and back to Al Sayf.

"He doesn't even know me. Only the monster I let my rage turn me into."

"Or perhaps he sees more than just the monster. Perhaps he, like I, see the man beneath the mask you wear so well."

Slade looked at Al Sayf, really looked at him, and saw something in those pale eyes that he had missed before. Longing. Loneliness. Weariness. All things he recognized well. He saw them often enough when he looked in a mirror. It suddenly dawned on him why Al Sayf seemed to always be near. Why the man had been willing to take Chase's punishment. The man might have been a member of the League but it was clear he was an outsider even among them.

Letting out a soft sound Slade managed to reach back with his good arm, hand resting over Al Sayf's.

The Alpha's gaze softened slightly and a small, barely there smile spread across his face.

Slade felt something, some strange feeling he couldn't recognize, rush down his spine and he huffed before looking at Chase again, feeling Al Sayf shuffle closer to his back, and, tucking his face into the pillow, inhaling the rich scents of both Alphas, he pretended he wasn't smiling.


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was supposed to be up like...nearly two weeks ago...and I feel kind of crappy that it took me so long to finish it and get it up. And I apologize for that. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

Oliver woke with a quiet snuffle and feeling warmer, safer, and more content, than he had in ages. Moving slightly he recognized the scent as he inhaled it, he recognized the feel of the arms around him, recognized the heartbeat beneath his ear and sleepily smiled even as he snuggled closer to his mate.

A hand ran down his back and he murmured softly as he snuggled closer to his mate. His Alpha.

The low rumble of said Alpha caused a quiver to roll down his spine and he slowly opened his eyes, tilting his head to look at his mate's face.

Ra's' eyes were closed, and he appeared to be asleep, but the content, satisfied grin on the Alpha's face, as well as the hand still rubbing small circles to the small of Oliver's back, told the Omega that the Alpha was far from slumber. Ignoring that small little detail Oliver took the time to look at his mate. Really look. Like this Ra's looked so calm. So peaceful. He looked like just another man. Yet around Ra's' eyes he could see the lines, the worry and age lines, the ones marking his mate yet not taking away from the rugged handsomeness that Oliver would have very much liked to have seen in the Alpha's youth.

Smiling to himself he inched closer and brushed a soft kiss to Ra's' forehead.

The Alpha's nose wrinkled but he said and did nothing, merely continued to rub his hand over Oliver's back, seemingly content to let the Omega do as he pleased.

Still smiling Oliver pressed another kiss to Ra's' face, this time to the tip of the Alpha's nose. Then he kissed Ra's' cheek. Then his jaw. Then his chin. Lastly he pressed a soft, chaste kiss to his Alpha's lips, smirking when Ra's rumbled faintly. When he drew back he wasn't surprised that Ra's followed after him, seeking out more kisses. Kisses Oliver happily, eagerly, gave.

It had been so long, so very long, since the last time Oliver could even recall just lying in bed with his mate, snuggling, trading kiss, feeling warm and loved and at home.

He was surprised when Ra's moved, pinning him back to the bed, straddling his waist, grinning down at him as strong hands, hands that had saved just as many lives as they had ended, braced against his shoulders. Blinking up at his mate he watched a slow, happy smile grace the Alpha's face even as Ra's slowly leaned down, nuzzling affectionately at his neck, pressing soft kisses along the pale skin, moving upwards until he could once again capture Oliver's lips with his own.

" _Sabāḥul kẖayr, habib_ ," Ra's murmured as he nuzzled again at Oliver's neck, fingers rubbing gentle circles into the Omega's shoulders.

Oliver all butt purr as he arched slightly, pushing up against his mate, smiling happily.

"G'morning to you too," he said, still smiling, reaching up to run his hands down Ra's' sides, fingers curling slightly around the Alpha's hips.

Ra's rumbled deeply, like an echoing roll of thunder, yet Oliver felt the peace, the joy, through their Bond and couldn't help but push back with his own feelings of such.

"I have missed this, _habib_ ," the Alpha whispered, head lifting, lips brushing over the edge of Oliver's jaw as he spoke. "Missed waking to the feel of you in my arms."

Oliver let out a soft, nearly purr like, sound as he brushed a soft kiss to Ra's' lips.

"I've missed it too," he admitted. "Missed...Missed everything."

Ra's kissed him again and Oliver couldn't help but move his hands, running them back up the Alpha's sides and over his back. When they parted Ra's kissed the tip of Oliver's nose, making the Omega grunt, nose wrinkling slightly, and he smiled at the sight.

" _Uḥibbuk, habib_."

Oliver's heart skipped.

It wasn't the first time he had heard that declaration from Ra's. Far from it. But hearing his mate say he loved him always caused his heart to beat funnily. Warmth filled him and he couldn't help but let that warmth, those emotions, pass through the Bond. It caused Ra's' smile to widen further and the Alpha kissed him again, whispering against his lips with every feather light kiss.

" _Uḥibbuk._ " Kiss. " _Uḥibbuk._ " Another kiss. " _Uhibbuk._ "

Oliver bucked up against Ra's with every kiss, with every whispered declaration of love, wrapping his arms around his mate's shoulders, pulling him down so their bodies were flush together, Ra's settling easily, naturally, between his legs. They fit together perfectly, as they always had, and Oliver couldn't help the way he all but purred as he held tight to his mate, who had begun mouthing at his neck.

Rumbling softly Oliver hooked one leg around Ra's waist, pulling his mate closer, until there was not a gap between their bodies and, once satisfied with his mate's position, began rolling his hips upwards, his hardening cock pressing against the Alpha with every purposeful thrust. It made Ra's growl faintly in response and when the Alpha kissed him again it was deep and fierce and had his back arching and his hands scrambling against Ra's back, trying to draw him nearer despite them already being flush.

Oliver had just started to move his hands, thinking to pull Ra's' shirt up, craving the feel of his mate's skin against his own, when someone knocked at the door.

Someone, the Omega decided with a low, menacing growl, who was going to die.

Slowly.

In the most painful way possible.

"My apologies, Master," a voice called through the door, one of the men who had come with Ra's. "I know the hour is early..."

Oliver growled and, when Ra's began to pull away from him, he reached behind his head, catching hold of one of the pillows and hurled it at the door, snarling out in Arabic that, if the hour was so damn early the man should fuck off.

Ra's huffed a soft laugh, nuzzling at Oliver's neck, rumbling faintly to calm his mate, who continued to growl faintly and glare daggers at the door, before calling out to his man.

"What did you deem to hold such importance, Namir?"

"Nyssa has returned, Master," Namir replied, clearly unfazed by Oliver's hostility. "She has brought Ta-er al-Sahfer with her."

That caught Oliver's attention and he ceased growling.

"Sara's here?" He frowned even as he spoke. It made no sense. After what had happened last night he had assumed his friend would give the League and its members a wide birth.

Ra's moved without a word, letting Oliver climb slowly to his feet before joining him. As they had fallen asleep still clothed there was no need to linger to dress and Oliver opened the bedroom door, greeted by the sight of Namir's emerald eyes and quirky grin.

"Habib," the man bowed his head, a display of respect for both Oliver as a member of the League and his position as Ra's' mate.

Oliver nodded. "Namir," he replied as the man stepped aside, allowing him to step out into the main room.

Sara stood at Nyssa's side, one hand wrapped in a cast that looked so stark against the dark jacket she wore, and, she seemed to lean into Nyssa despite there still being a gap of space between them. Her blonde hair was woven up into an intricate braid that Oliver immediately recognized. He'd seen Nyssa weave it into her sister's hair before the younger al Ghul daughter had left the League.

"Sara," he smiled slightly as he stepped towards her.

"Hey, Ollie," his friend spoke softly, her gaze darting from him to Ra's briefly but long enough that the Demon's Head took notice.

"Have you come seeking retribution, Miss Lance," Ra's queried, eyebrow quirked upwards slightly in curiosity. "I would assume my daughter explained punishment was doled out for what was done to you."

"I'm not here for...for vengeance or...or anything like that," Sara surprisingly said and Oliver glanced at his mate as Ra's let out a soft, barely noticeable rumble.

"Then what, Miss Lance," the Alpha questioned. "Is the purpose of this visit?"

Sara looked at Oliver then.

"I came to apologize."

Oliver blinked. Confused.

"What?"

Sara let out a soft sound and Nyssa brushed a hand against her arm, the action nearly imperceptible, before she drew a deep breath.

"You were right," she said as she took a small step forward. "When you said I only ever think about myself."

Oliver wanted to protest but Sara kept talking so he forced himself to remain silent, to see where she was going with her declaration.

"If it wasn't for me...if I hadn't lied all those years ago...maybe...maybe things would have been different," she looked Oliver in the eye and he saw it, the honesty, the guilt and doubt, same things he had seen in his reflection for years. Things he still saw from time to time. "I made a choice...made several choices...none of which turned out the way I thought they would and...and when they blew up in my face...instead of facing them...instead of owning up to my mistakes...I buried my head in the sand or blamed someone...anyone...else."

Tears were dotting her lashes now and Oliver wanted to reach out, to offer comfort, but Nyssa was suddenly there, lightly touching Sara's uninjured hand, murmuring something too softly for Oliver to catch. It seemed to have the desired effect because Sara drew a deep breath and continued speaking.

"You were right when you said I can't keep doing that." A sad, almost bittersweet smile graced her face. "And this...this is me...manning up, Ollie. Because...Because I don't want to lose you. You're...You're my friend. The closest thing I've ever had to a brother. And...And I don't want you to see me as...as a potential threat to you or...or your pup. I...I want you to be able to trust me...to trust me in your life and your pup's."

Oliver blinked and looked at Nyssa, who didn't bother to look guilty or ashamed that she had clearly let it slip that he was pregnant.

"Sara," Oliver stepped forward, reaching out to his friend, pulling her into a hug. He didn't know what he had meant to say, couldn't find the words, all he could do was hold Sara, praying she would understand regardless. Her good arm looped around him and she tucked her head beneath his chin, rumbling softly, like a content cat, and he pressed a quick, soft kiss to her temple. 

He couldn't begin to explain, even to himself, how glad he was that she was finally stepping up and owning her mistakes. He hoped it would help Sara grow. Hoped she could finally begin to heal and truly move forward with her life.

Seconds later Sara's phone began blaring in her pocket and, sniffling slightly she pulled away to answer it, murmuring a soft apology.

"Laurel?" She was frowning as she listened to her sister, her gaze cutting to Oliver. "Laurel, listen it's...no...no it's...Laurel..." She winced at whatever Laurel said before holding the phone out to Oliver. "She wants to talk to you."

Oliver blinked and exchanged a quick glance with Ra's before taking the phone.

"Laurel?"

He winced as Laurel suddenly, unexpectedly, screamed into the phone.

_"OLIVER JONAS QUEEN! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"_


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided, since introducing Namir last chapter, that there will be no further OC assassins. I've got four as it is and trying to juggle just them is a bit of a mini nightmare so, for the foreseeable future, these four are the only ones I'll be using by name in this story and any sequels that may follow.
> 
> Now I've noticed a lot of readers are under the impression that Chase, our adorable little puppy Alpha, is an original character as well but he actually isn't. He's a League character featured, briefly, in season 3 of the show. While I had to completely create his backstory and personality beyond his loyalty to the League he is in fact a canon character.
> 
> Also, quick note, the images for the OC assassins are as follows:  
> [Al Sayf](http://www.theouthousers.com/images/jck//xaraan/4d13853d-5818-41d0-ad0a-75bcf3c05c89.jpg)  
> [Sayad](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/85/95/c9/8595c9e7ad148bdbf606bb8795d161c7.jpg)  
> [Al Thi'b](http://st-listas.20minutos.es/images/2013-01/353231/3882474_640px.jpg?1407070916)  
> and  
> [Namir](http://whosdatedwho.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Nikolaj-Coster-Waldau.jpeg)

Oliver, after speaking with Laurel, managed to leave the safe house with only Ra's and Namir accompanying him. He had convinced his mate that meeting with Laurel was not life threatening and that, despite her screaming to kill him, she wasn't actually going to do it. That her temper had always been demonstrated via her shouting and threatening bodily harm but, unless she was pushed to it, she rarely resorted to actual physical violence. He had attempted to get Sara to go with them but the younger Lance sister had wisely, if less than gracefully, refused.

_"I'm already in deep enough water with Laurel," Sara had said while shaking her head. "I'm not sinking any deeper. Not even for you, Ollie."_

So Oliver had left with only his mate and a member of Ra's personal guard, grumbling most of the way down the stairs about Sara being a coward too afraid to face her own sister. It had, at least, proven to be amusing to Namir, who had chuckled the entire time but said nothing, not even when Oliver shot him a scathing look. The man, far too easy going for the elite warrior Oliver knew him to be, merely smiled at him. Which prompted Oliver to insult him, first in Arabic and then Danish. Just for good measure.

Ra's shook his head but said nothing about his mate's, or his guard's, behaviour, knowing that they had their own unique dynamic. Oliver would act a brat. Namir like an older brother. Picking at one another one moment but willing to protect the other with unrivalled fierceness the moment anyone else dared press issue with them.

Out on the street the trio walked along side one another, Oliver flanked between the two older men, and Namir boldly threw his arm around Oliver's shoulder, the Beta grinning as he reeled the Omega in close to his side. Ra's watched from the corner of his eye. Amused. He knew he had nothing to fear from Namir's closeness to his mate. Namir had always, even as an initiate been a very tactile sort of person. He enjoyed pressing into others personal space mostly, Ra's suspected, to see how uncomfortable he could make them but the large part, the Demon's Head knew, was that he was waiting to see if said person would push him away. All it took was that one rejection and Namir would distance himself. Sometimes permanently.

He was, in many ways, like a cat in that regard.

Which rung true, Ra's often mused, with his chosen name.

Namir.

Tiger.

The man had, Ra's had told him, chosen well. For though he was loyal to the League there was still a wildness to Namir that, even after nearly twenty years of service, had not burned out. It was one of the reasons Ra's had eventually chosen him to be part of his elite guard. For Namir, even dressed as casually as he was, never went anywhere unarmed. He likely had half a dozen, if not more, daggers concealed on his person. Not to mention the kunai likely hidden up the Beta's sleeve. Namir may have appeared, for all intents and purposes, harmless but he was just as dangerous as his name suggested.

By the time they reached the little coffee shop where Oliver had agreed to meet Laurel Ra's had noticed the way Namir kept glancing, subtly, towards the rooftops of the buildings they passed. Something had caught the man's attention yet he was trying to be discreet about it. Clearly not wanting to cause worry in case he was misreading a situation. When Namir noticed him watching he grinned, almost cheekily, but Ra's saw in the man's gaze the unspoken words.

Someone was following them.

It was enough for Ra's to quickly usher both men into the shop.

Namir might have been his guard but, despite what many might whisper, he still cared for the lives of those who served him and, should whoever was following prove to be a threat, Ra's would sooner not risk his mate or guard.

The shop was a quant little place and the rich scent of strong coffee permeated the air and Ra's could not help the quirk of his lips as he glanced around, taking in the sparse, early morning crowd. He saw nothing that would suggest danger and had just turned to his mate to ask if Oliver friend was yet there when Oliver let out a soft sound, pulling away from Namir's side, a small, barely there smile gracing his face.

"Laurel," the Omega spoke softly as a woman, with dark hair and eyes and a striking similarity to Sara Lance, rose from a nearby table and slowly made her way towards him even as he moved to meet her.

They stopped a few feet from one another, both seemingly at a loss, and Ra's could see the anger burning in the young woman. But deeper than that he saw her fear. Fear that this was a dream. That she would wake and discovered her friend still dead. Still lost to her. She was angry, yes, that he had hidden away for so very long, but, more than that, she feared losing him yet again.

It seemed Oliver was right.

Laurel Lance's temper fuelled her words.

But her movements, her expression, told a different story.

When she moved again, all but throwing herself at Oliver, barely whispering his name, as though to say it too loudly might make him disappear like smoke on the wind, Oliver caught her, hugging her close, cheek brushing against her hair even as she clung to him, tears dotting her lashes and quiet sobs wracking her delicate frame.

Ra's watched how his mate hugged the girl tighter, murmuring softly in her ear, gentle words meant to sooth and calm her no doubt. And it appeared to work. Laurel quickly collected herself, stepping back slightly, her hands still resting against Oliver's arms, tears still dancing on her lashes, but a smile finally graced her face as she stared up at him. She might not have been a warrior like her sister but the Demon's Head saw a fire burning within her that most lacked. 

Laurel Lance was strong in her own way.

"You," she said, voice a little hoarse from crying, completely ignoring the questioning looks from those around them. "Are a complete and utter shit."

Oliver chuckled and gave a nod. "I know."

"I should kick your ass."

Another chuckle from the Omega.

"You probably should," he replied and Laurel laughed weakly.

"You...You..." Laurel shook her head but she was still smiling. "You have no idea how good it is to see you, Ollie."

That, the simple use of that old nickname, seemed to be enough to cause the tears that had been shimmering in Oliver's eyes to break free because as they glided, silently, down the Omega's face he chuckled softly, reaching up to tuck Laurel's hair behind her ear.

"I missed you too," he said softly, still smiling and Laurel sniffled a bit before her gaze darted from him to Ra's and Namir.

"You gonna introduce me to your friends, Ollie?"

Oliver nodded and half turned, gesturing to Namir first, who grinned in his typical cheeky way. "That's Namir," the man in question nodded his head in greeting as Oliver turned towards Ra's. "And this...this is Ra's. My Alpha."

That, it seemed, grabbed Laurel's attention and her gaze, filled with surprise.

"Your..."

"Alpha," Oliver repeated as he slowly guided Laurel back towards her table. "How about we all sit down and just...we'll talk about it and...and anything else you want to know about, Laurel. I promise."

Laurel, giving Ra's another questioning look, nodded and followed Oliver's lead.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Outside, on a rooftop across the street a lone figure crouched, hidden by a rooftop heating unit and, through a specially designed scope, watched the little gathering within the coffee shop. It would have been easy, very easy, to eliminate the threat posed by Ra's al Ghul right then and there but doing so risked putting Laurel Lance, whom he had sworn, on his son's soul, to never bring to harm, and the newly resurrected Oliver Queen, in harms way.

He could not bring himself to once again endanger the son of the man who, once, had been his nearest and dearest friend.

He had nearly given himself away earlier, shocked at seeing the young man alive and well after believing him dead for so long. He had barely escaped full detection by Namir. The man's keen gaze had briefly noticed him several blocks before the coffee shop and he was certain the warrior had somehow subtly alerted Ra's to the presence of someone following them.

He knew it was foolish, lingering so close, but seeing Oliver had reminded him of the days when, as a child, Oliver had run through his home, playing with is son, the closest thing he had ever had to a second son.

He hadn't known, six years ago, that Oliver was going to be on that damn boat with Robert. If he had he would never have gone through with the plan. He would have found another way. But now, now he knew he hadn't killed the younger man, that, in that at least, his hands were clean.

The only dilemma now was that Oliver was clearly with the League of Assassins.

That served as a complication.

One he had not been prepared for.

He wasn't certain how to go about handling that problem without things going wrong. It was something that would require much more careful planning and thought.

Drawing a deep breath Malcolm Merlyn settled in to wait and see how things across the street unfolded. All the while plans began to form and reform within his mind.

He would be free of the League and its laws.

One way or the other.

But he wanted to find a way that did not result in the harm, or death, of his daughter or Moira's son.


	52. Chapter 52

Namir waited until Oliver and Ra's were settled with the girl, Laurel Lance, before he rose, politely excusing himself and heading in the direction of the counter, far from the large window at the front of the cafe. He was no fool. He had noticed the shadowy figure on the rooftop across the street. The same figure he had taken note of during the walk to the cafe. Which meant it was no coincidence. And he wasn't going to overlook it.

Slipping out the back door he casually made his way through an alleyway a few buildings down, ducking across the street behind hidden among group of college students bickering about their finals or some such trivial nonsense. Once on the other street he ducked down an alley, unnoticed by the people on the street, dismissed as just another wayward criminal of this wretched city. It worked, though, to his benefit.

Using an old fire escape and dumpster he managed to climb to the roof, slipping across the rooftop silently, spotting his prey crouched a few feet away. Whoever they were they were clearly trained. Everything about their posture suggested such and Namir crouched low, slowly drawing one of his knives from its hiding spot, the blade thin and sharp. Grinning to himself he drew his arm back and then, with undeniable speed and precision, threw the blade.

It sang through the air, alerting the other man, and Namir was certain it was a man, seconds before it could impact with his shoulder and, as the man threw himself sideways, rolling, Namir had another knife in hand even as the first impacted with the heating unit the man had been using as cover.

The man snarled as he whirled around, straightening, only to fall still, shoulders stiff, body tense, clearly ready to run if he had too, when he caught sight of Namir prowling a few feet from him.

Namir's grin quickly became a sneer as he easily recognized the man before him.

"Al Sa-her."

He twirled his knife, fingers dancing over the hilt even as his sneer became a smirk.

"Well, isn't this a surprise."

"Hello, Namir," Malcolm said, watching him closely, warily, very much aware of how lethal he was with his knives. "It's been a long time."

"Not long enough." Namir slowly moved to the side, watching Malcolm shift counterpoint to him, ready to either fight or flee at a moments notice. "You've grown sloppy. There was a time I would have missed you on those rooftops."

"I had to be sure what I was actually seeing," Malcolm replied calmly, hands folded behind his back, but his gaze gave him away. The man was nervous. On edge. That was good. Namir did not want him for a second to even think that their history, their past friendship, would serve as a benefit to him. "I thought Oliver Queen dead for six years."

Namir shook his head.

"Oliver Queen _is_ dead," the assassin replied with a low growl. "There is only Al Sa-him now."

"The Arrow?" Malcolm, for a moment, seemed almost distressed by that. As though seeing Oliver with him and Ra's had not been enough to confirm what should have been obvious. "When did he come to..."

"You've no right to ask," Namir was quick to cut in. "You lost any right the day you broke our laws. Laws you _swore_ to uphold even when no longer a brother of the League."

"I did what I had to for..."

"Your wife." 

Namir remembered when Malcolm had come to Nanda Parbat. Barely a year after he had. The man had been broken, devestated by the loss of his wife. It had driven him for two years to become better. And when Ra's had released him, had let him return to his home, his son, Namir had hoped he would find some form of peace. But, as his master had once said, for men like Malcolm there was never peace to be found. Only more battles. Only more conflict and bloodshed.

"Killing innocent lives is not avenging the woman you lost," Namir said as he shook his head. "That is not restoring the balance. Or bringing justice. It is murder. It makes you no better than the scum my master sends me to hunt down."

"Is that why you're up here, Namir? Did Ra's send you to hunt me?"

"Not in this moment," Namir admitted. "I was curious to see who had dared to stalk my master. Though I must say I'm quite pleased that it is you."

Malcolm blinked.

"And why is that?"

Namir grinned, wide and bright, like living sunshine.

"Because it means I get to be the one to present Ra's with your head in a box."

He hurled his knife, the blade arching through the air, Malcolm barely dancing clear of it only to have to dodge again when Namir lunged, fresh blade in hand. They were well matched. For all that Malcolm had been gone from the League he had maintained his training. Strengthened it even. But he was unarmed and, despite being on opposing sides, it became clear to Namir, quite quickly, that Malcolm was trying to disarm and incapacitate him not kill him. He supposed it was due to their past friendship. He had taken a shine to Malcolm, all those years ago, and while part of him regretted what he had to do he would do it all the same.

Malcolm had broken sacred laws.

Vows he had sworn.

Namir's choice was clear in this matter.

And Malcolm had to know that.

Twisting away from one of Malcolm's strikes, Namir ducked and swept back with his leg, throwing the other man off balance before twisting again and catching him across the forearm with his knife. Malcolm hissed, clutching the wound, blood oozing from between his fingers and Namir rumbled, like a true tiger scenting wounded prey. Malcolm, though slightly injured, managed to twist, his skills still keen as ever and snatched the knife from Namir before putting a small amount of distance between them.

"I have no reason to want to harm you, Namir," Malcolm rumbled faintly, blood running down his arm. "Please, just let me disappear."

Namir shook his head.

"You know I cannot do that." Namir drew another knife from its hiding place. "Whatever brotherly affection I have for you will not sway my loyalty to the Demon's Head."

Malcolm stared at him. Those blue eyes sharp and calculating.

"Have?"

The word hung heavy from the man's lips and Namir blinked. Realizing the slip that Malcolm had caught.

"It means nothing," he snarled faintly, fingers flexing against the hilt of his knife. "Nothing, Al Sa-her."

"Namir..."

Whatever Malcolm meant to say was lost in Namir's suddenly snarl as he lunged for the other man, proving that, no matter the lingering attachment he felt towards Malcolm, his loyalties lied with Ra's al Ghul and the League above all else. Their battle, if it could be called it that, was brief. Each sustained injuries from the blades and when Namir danced away from Malcolm he had lost his knife, the back of his hand sliced open, blood slick and warm between his fingers.

"I am not above killing you, Namir," Malcolm rumbled. "Do not misunderstand, I've got no true desire to do so, but if it means my survival I will. No matter the pain it causes Oliver."

Namir let out an angry snarl at the mention of his master's mate.

"If you think I will be killed so easily, Al Sa-her, then by all means, do try. But if you think to threaten my brother you will find I will drag you to hell with me first."

Without another word, without even a hint to what he intended, his training had made him that efficient, his kunai slipping from his sleeve and into his hand, launching the deadly blade with all the grace of a tiger leaping from long grass at the back of its prey. With a twist of his arm, his other hand on the length of cord attached to the kunai, it was easy to control the strike.

A strike Malcolm barely managed to block.

He was not so lucky with the next three attacks.

Cuts appeared on the man's arms and cheek and Namir growled with satisfaction, watching the blood glide in silent rivers over Malcolm's skin even as, with a deft twist, he drew the kunai back to his hand, the cord coiled around his arm like a snake waiting to strike.

"How quickly you forget," Namir rumbled as he moved, slow and steady, kunai hanging loosely form his fingertips, Malcolm's blood dripping from the blade. "You did the same when we were initiates together."

"I've learned a great deal since then," Malcolm snapped hotly, Namir's knife dropping from his hand as he slowly stepped backwards, towards the side of the roof that dropped down into the alleyway between the two buildings. "And one thing I've learned is that, no matter how skilled any member of the League is, you all have one fatal flaw."

Namir sneered at the slight to him, to the League, and the kunai swung lightly from his hand.

"And what, Al Sa-her, is that?"

Malcolm suddenly smiled.

A broken, bitter smile that set Namir on edge immediately.

"You all use archaic weaponry."

The gunshot echoed through the air and, on the street below, people screamed and scurried towards the various buildings in a panic.


	53. Chapter 53

The sound of a gunshot echoed outside in the street, people screamed, running in panic and fear, and Oliver reacted out of instinct. He was around the table, dragging Laurel down, even as Ra's snarled and moved as well, the Alpha trying to shield him even as he shielded Laurel.

The chaos outside was like a tidal wave and, looking around, Oliver quickly realized something was amiss.

"Where's Namir?" The Omega looked around, searching the sudden surge of people in the cafe for the man, even as Laurel clung to him with one hand while frantically digging in her purse, likely for her cell phone, with the other.

Ra's rumbled, hand on Oliver's shoulder, body placed between his mate and the large windows at the front of the cafe, searching the crowd for something that didn't fit. Someone who was far too calm or anxious. The subtlest thing that would indict a person as more than just a terrified bystander or victim. 

He saw nothing.

And that made him even more wary.

"Stay down," he rumbled when Oliver started to move.

"But..." Oliver shook his head, looking around hurriedly, searching the crowd again for Namir. "Where the hell is Namir?"

Oliver barely heard Laurel speaking into her cell phone, talking to the police, or possibly her father, but he started to move again, thinking to search for Namir only to still, automatically, instinctively, when Ra's hand curled around the back of his neck, squeezing, an Alpha tactic to bring an unruly Omega to heel. Oliver knew, he did, that Ra's only did it to keep him in place, to keep him from doing something foolish. Like take off into the street to search for Namir and get himself caught in the crossfire of whatever the hell was happening out there.

Rumbling, louder this time, Ra's pulled his phone from his pocket, firing off a quick text to Sayad, knowing the man, and those with him, would be quick to respond.

"Calm yourself, _habib_ ," the Alpha spoke gently. He too was concerned for Namir but his priority was, and always would be, Oliver. "I have sent word to the others. They will search for our brother."

Oliver let out a low whine but didn't try to shake off his Alpha's hold, instead turning his attention to Laurel, who, though shaking like a leaf, appeared to be holding together quite well.

"Are you okay," he asked, choosing instead to focus on her, trying to keep his worry for Namir at bay as best he could.

She nodded, though one of her hands was curled around his wrist and she had shuffled nearer to him, her keen gaze not missing the way Ra's kept himself between Oliver and the windows. She might have been a Beta but she wasn't stupid. She knew what an Alpha protecting his mate looked like. Just like she knew what an Omega bending to the will of his Alpha looked like. She didn't comment on it though, now was hardly the time after all, instead she focused on what was happening.

"Is this..." She glanced towards the window before meeting Oliver's gaze again. "Does this have to do with...with whatever the hell happened last night?"

Oliver wanted to deny that. Wanted to reassure her that it was just typical Starling City crime but he couldn't. Because he didn't know. He couldn't be certain.

"It is not," Ra's was the one to answer, voice rough, a hint of growl in his words. And Oliver looked up at his mate. "I can assure you of that, Miss Lance."

"How..." Oliver's nose wrinkled and Ra's rumbled, loudly, almost growling.

"Mr Wilson's associates were dealt with last night."

Oliver blinked.

He hadn't expected that. 

Hadn't expected that Slade would have given up those working with him so easily.

But then he thought of how Slade had owned up to his mistakes, his hand in the mess that had come so close to spiralling out of control the night before, how the older Omega had stepped up and accepted a punishment to spare someone else.

It all reminded him of the Slade who had trained him, who had kept him alive, who had fought to protect him for so long without receiving anything in return.

Nodding slowly, hearing the approaching police sirens, Oliver looked back at Laurel.

"Are you sure you're okay," he asked, needing to distract himself again before the urge to find Namir got the better of him.

"I'm fine, Ollie, really," she said, giving a weak smile. "I mean...you'd think after growing up in Starling with a cop dad I'd be used to be a bit of gunfire."

Oliver knew she was trying to joke in order to appear okay and was more than willing to let her do it. He reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling slightly, his thumb brushing over her cheek gently.

"Always the brave one," he said, parroting words he remembered Tommy once saying when Laurel had been the first one through a half boarded up window at an old factory down by the docks when they'd been teenagers.

She seemed to recognize his words before a hint of sorrow danced through her eyes.

"He never gave up hope that you were alive, you know," she said softly, reaching up to pull something from beneath the collar of her shirt. He was surprised, deeply so, to see the pendant that marked his League name. The pendant he had left at Tommy's grave months ago. He felt Ra's shift slightly, felt his Alpha's surprise through their Bond, but the man said nothing even as Laurel gave him a gentle smile. "This is yours, isn't it? You left it with him."

Oliver nodded.

"I did. It was...It was a difficult time for me and I...I wanted a piece of me to be with him because...because a piece of him will always be with me."

Laurel drew a deep breath and slipped the pendant's cord up over her head, passing it over Oliver's, watching it settle against his chest, before pressing her hand over the carefully carved stone. A warm, familiar touch.

"A piece of you was with him, Ollie. It always will be. You were the closes thing he ever had to a brother. Your love, your memory, gave him strength. He changed after you...after you disappeared. He became better. Because of you. Because he wanted to be a man you would have been proud to call brother. You saved him from a life of booze and bimbos and...and a series of seriously bad mistakes. You did that. Even from...from wherever you were. You _saved_ him, Ollie."

Oliver let out a soft sound even as he felt Ra's hand slide from his neck to rub a gentle circle over the space between his shoulder blades. He felt the warmth of comfort through their Bond. Ra's knew what Tommy had meant to him. The brotherly love he had shared with the man who, once, had been his closest and dearest friend.

Before Oliver could respond there were police cars out front of the cafe, officers rushing in, doing damage control and what ever else it was that they were meant to do. Oliver didn't really care as his Alpha helped him to stand. He was, however, surprised when Quentin Lance emerged through the crowd, uniformed, heading straight for Laurel, who did her best to reassure him that she was fine. That whatever had happened had happened out in the street.

Quentin hardly looked convinced but his gaze swung, slowly, from Laurel to Oliver.

"Please tell me this has nothing to do with you and your leather clad buddies," the Alpha rumbled, arm wrapped protectively around his daughter and Oliver opened his mouth to retort, to attempt to reassure Quentin, but Ra's let out a low, almost challenging sound and, when Quentin looked at the other Alpha, Oliver saw the exact moment Laurel's father made the connection that most people missed. He suspected it might have been the fact that Ra's had looped his arm, almost casually, around Oliver's waist.

"Huh," Quentin said, looking Ra's up and down for a brief moment before looking back at Oliver. "Didn't peg you as having a daddy kink."

"Daddy!" Laurel sounded both shocked and horrified at her father's bluntness but Quentin merely shrugged.

"It's not like that," Oliver muttered even as Ra's answered Quentin's earlier question.

"My men are not responsible for the terror that has transpired here today, though one may have been caught in the crossfire of it," His voice was diplomatic but there was a hint of heat behind it and Oliver, seeking to defuse things before they could escalate, quickly leaned into Ra's' side, a soft sound, like a kittenish purr, rumbling from his chest.

Quentin, sharp as a tack, didn't miss it and, surprisingly, took a step back.

His gesture was an Alpha showing another Alpha that he was no threat to them or their very obvious mate.

"So should I tell my men to start looking for a body or..." Quentin started but fell silent when Sara and Nyssa suddenly came pushing through the crowd, somehow having managed to get by the police outside and at the door.

Sara went, immediately, naturally, to Laurel, checking her sister even though Laurel kept insisting she was fine.

Nyssa hugged Oliver, looking to any who might be watching to be nothing but a concerned loved one happy to see someone they cared about safe.

"Al Thi'b and Talibah found Namir," she said, just loud enough for Oliver and Ra's to hear. "He's got a bullet in his shoulder and swearing up a storm but beyond that he is safe."

"Did he say what happened," Ra's murmured as Nyssa pulled back from Oliver, still playing her part well.

Nyssa nodded, meeting her father's gaze head on.

"Al Sa-her."


	54. Chapter 54

Oliver did not storm from the cafe, not exactly, it was, after all, rather difficult to storm off when his Alpha kept a firm hold of his arm.

Ra's growled when Oliver tried to pull away from him, grip tightening, his every instinct screaming at him to protect his mate and their unborn child. Especially when he knew that Al Sa-her was in the city. The man had already injured one member of the League and would likely not hesitate to do the same, or worse, to the stubborn Omega. And Ra's would be damned before he let something happen to Oliver or their child simply because Oliver seemed to want to hunt for Al Sa-her.

" _Habib_ ," he growled out when Oliver tugged again. " _Habib_ , stop."

Still Oliver struggled, fighting to pull free, and Ra's let out a deep rumble, like the echo of distant thunder, pushing his full authority as Alpha through their Bond, sensing Oliver's feeling of urgency through it at the same time.

"You are not," Ra's snarled as Oliver finally stilled, meeting his gaze head on. "Going out there to hunt for Al Sa-her."

Oliver blinked almost owlishly.

"What?"

Ra's growled again at his mate's attempt to be oblivious.

His status as Alpha began wafting form him, his scent almost cloying, thickening the air around them to the point where it caused people around them to slowly, warily, move away, a few even tipping their heads slightly in submission. But Ra's kept his gaze fixed, firmly, on his mate. His mate who looked dangerously torn between fight or flight. He sensed Oliver's agitation, could taste it like something tinged with copper at the back of his throat, and he couldn't help but growl again even as his hand, his fingers, flexed against his mate's arm. Like a cat kneading its claws.

"I am not letting you," Ra's rumbled, not wanting to fight with his mate, especially not in such a public setting, but he would refuse to budge on this issue. "Run around this damnable city hunting for a man beyond capable turning you, and our pup, into nothing but a bloody smear on the pavement."

Again Oliver just blinked at him.

"You..." Oliver shook his head. "What?"

Ra's started to growl again but, finally, Oliver seemed to understand what the Alpha was saying because he let out a low pitched sound.

"You think I...that's..." Again Oliver shook his head. "I am _not_ going to hunt for that son of a bitch."

Ra's let out a disbelieving sound and Oliver growled in reply.

"That maniac," Oliver hissed, finally managing to wrench free of his mate's grip. "Is not an idiot. If he hasn't already figured it out he'll figure out my _mother_ is the one who tipped the League, tipped _you_ , off to the fact that he's still alive." His gaze narrowed. "Al Sa-her is not known for his mercy. If he knows what she's known my...my mother...my sister...they'll be in danger."

"Oliver."

"This is my family we're talking about, _'iishraq_ ," Oliver all but pleaded. "I can't...I can't just leave them to...to suffer at the hands of that psychopath."

Ra's again felt his mate's agitation, his anxiousness, through their Bond, only now he understood the truth of it. It wasn't because he was stopping the Omega from rushing off in search of Al Sa-her, but because he was stopping him from going and making certain his family was alright. That no harm had befallen his mother or sister. It was no less than what the Alpha himself would do were it his daughters facing such an uncertain fate. Even knowing what both women were capable of, what he himself had trained them to do, there would always be a deep rooted instinct to protect them.

With a deep breath, some of his baser instincts slowly receiding, Ra's glanced to Nyssa, close enough to speak to but still maintaining a small air of distance.

"Have Talibah tend to Namir," the Alpha spoke not in English but a dialect of Arabic that was not known beyond the boarders of their homeland. "And rally the others to the airstrip. Once we have checked on Oliver's family we are returning to Nanda Parbat." He glanced at Oliver, wondering if his mate would protest, but the Omega merely nodded his agreement. Looking back at his daughter he easily recognized the thoughts flickering across her face. "Have Sayad and Al Thi'b join us at the Queen Estate."

Nyssa hesitated only a moment and, again, Ra's saw the confliction in her dark gaze.

He was surprised when Sara stepped up beside his daughter.

"I'll go with you guys," she said, chin tilted upwards. "Might have a broken hand but I can still be of some use." She pretended not to see the concerned look Nyssa threw her way. "Besides, it'll be nice to even the score with Merlyn if I get the chance."

Ra's nodded. He knew Sara had faced Al Sa-her before and had, from all accounts, held her own. Even if the snake had tricked her into believing she had won.

He felt more than heard Oliver's deep inhale, could still feel the anxiousness through their Bond, and turned to face his mate.

"Lead on, _habib_."

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

The trip to the Queen Estate, once in Sara's car, was quick.

Much quicker than Oliver had expected and, as they pulled up out front of the mansion, he tried to calm the rapid beat of his heart.

He feared more for Moira than for Thea.

Thea was Malcolm's daughter. Surely, despite all his previous actions, surely Malcolm wouldn't hurt Thea just to get back at Moira for telling the League he was still alive.

Climbing from the car, ignoring the pulse of caution through his Bond with Ra's, he hurried to the front doors, throwing one open even as he let out a shout.

"Mom?! Thea?!"

When there was no reply his heart began to pound against his ribs.

"Speedy?!"

He paused by the grand staircase, scenting the air, trying to remember his training, both that from his years in the League and what little he had on Lian Yu. He tried to force himself to be calm. The house was large. It was likely his mother and sister were at completely opposite ends of it and simply couldn't hear him. There was no reason to suspect anything had happened to them. They were likely just...a scent that didn't belong wafted through the air, faint, barely there, and a low growl bubbled up.

"Oliver," Sara touched his arm and he growled again.

"Something's not right," he rumbled, looking from his friend to Ra's. "There's a scent...it's...it's not right. It doesn't belong here."

Ra's, always willing to trust his mate, slowly inhaled, trying his best to sort out the different scents though it was difficult. And then it hit him.

The strange scent.

Al Sa-her.

He started to speak, to order Sara to take Oliver out of the house, when a loud crash sounded and Oliver, prompted by his instincts to protect those he cared about, snarled and bolted.

"OLIVER!"

Ra's shouted as he and Sara followed.

Oliver rounded a corner, following the sound, the sudden shouting, to his mother's study near the back of the house. He heard Moira say something about having warned someone. And then a deep, rumbling growl followed by the voice of a man he hadn't heard in years. A voice that sent a cold chill rolling down his spine even as he snatched up a letter opening from a stand by the study door, which stood half open and Oliver carefully looked through the opening, needing to know what he was about to walk into.

"You've put Thea at risk," Malcolm snarled, moving slowly, purposefully, towards Moira, who looked both fierce and terrified. "You have no idea what the League will do if they discover the truth!"

"I told you to stay away," Moira fired back even as she took a step towards her desk. "You should have listened for once, Malcolm."

"If I hadn't gotten you out of that damn prison, you ungrateful bitch, none of this would be happening!"

Malcolm took another step towards Moira, hand starting to reach out, and Oliver had seen enough.

Without a sound he pushed the door the rest of the way open and swiftly threw the letter opener.

Not surprisingly Malcolm, so well trained, turned, snatching the letter opener from the air before it could strike him. A smirk, slow and lazy, spread across the Alpha's face and Oliver rumbled faintly, hearing Ra's and Sara coming down the hall.

"Hello, Oliver," Malcolm said, still smirking. "I must say you are looking quite...lively...for a dead man."

Oliver rumbled again, slowly moving, putting himself between his mother and Malcolm.

"The same," Ra's voice came from the doorway and the color promptly drained from Malcolm's face as his gaze swung from Oliver to the Demon's Head. "Could be said of you, Al Sa-her."


	55. Chapter 55

Ra's watched the way Malcolm turned, slowly, dismissing Oliver and focusing solely on him.

Good.

With Malcolm's focus on him it lessened, to some degree, the danger his mate was in.

He would keep Malcolm's focus on him.

"Tell me, Al Sa-her," Ra's said, taking a slow step forward, hands folding behind his back, posture relaxed. Calm. All meant to keep Malcolm on edge. To keep the man focused on him and only him. "What did you seek by coming here after attacking one of my men? Retribution, perhaps? For Moira Queen informing me that your death was nothing but a ruse?"

Malcolm rumbled faintly but the sound quickly cut off, as though the other Alpha realized how stupid it would be for him to try and press his luck with Ra's. Those blue eyes, sharp and cunning and always seeing far more than most would give him credit for, flicked between Ra's and Oliver quickly, no doubt weighing his odds, and a small smile slowly graced the man's face, letter opener tapping lightly against his thigh.

"I must admit," Malcolm all but purred, honey dripping like poison from his every word. "I certainly wasn't expecting this."

"You attacked a member of my elite," Ra's replied in that curt, diplomatic tone he reserved especially for those who had displeased him. "And you betrayed vows you swore to uphold even when I had released you from your obligation to the League. To _me_. Tell me, Al Sa-her, why should I not now gut you like the traitorous filth that you are, here and now?"

"Other than it would ruin Moira's fine carpet?"

Moira growled faintly and started to step around her son but Oliver held his arm out, stopping her, his gaze never wavering from Malcolm who, despite looking calm, was beginning to twitch, ever so slightly. Torn between fight or flight now that he was cornered by what was very likely the most lethal man on the planet.

"I am sure Mrs Queen can afford to have it replaced," Ra's mused, not even sparing the carpet a glance. "Can you do the same, Al Sa-her, with the body parts I am going to remove from you?"

Malcolm smiled again but it was more like an animal baring its teeth.

"You think you have the advantage? Two men and a..." His gaze flicked briefly, unconcerned, to Sara, clearly noting the cast on her hand. "Little girl."

Sara growled faintly but didn't move from where she stood beside Ra's.

When Malcolm looked at him again Ra's saw the flicker of something in the man's eyes.

"You really should have thought this through further, Ra's," Malcolm said, still smiling that animalist smile. "Because you may have the numbers..." Malcolm dropped the letter opener and, quick as the blink of an eye, drew a pistol from the back of his jeans, aiming it at Oliver. "But I have the upper hand."

Moira gasped and immediately tried to get around her son, thinking only of protecting him, but Oliver pushed her back even as Ra's growled faintly.

"Threatening one of mine will get you nothing, Al Sa-her," the elder Alpha rumbled darkly, trying not to let his rage be heard or seen. If Malcolm simply believed Oliver was nothing to him but a loyal follower the odds of keeping his mate and their pup unharmed were higher.

"I believe I've already proven how far I am willing to go to escape your reach." Malcolm tipped his head slightly. "If you think I won't kill Oliver you might want to revaluate your assessment of me."

"Then do it," Oliver suddenly growled, ignoring the way his mother gasped his name, trying to hold him back, ignoring the warning looks from both Ra's and Sara, especially Ra's, and took a step forward and then another until the end of the barrel of Malcolm's gun was pressed to the hollow of his throat. "You murdered me once. It shouldn't be too hard to do it again."

Ra's barely suppressed his growl at his mate, once again, placing himself directly in danger. He had known, when he had taken Oliver as his mate, that the younger man had this tendency. He'd known. And still it infuriated him. But then, through their Bond, he felt Oliver's emotions, calm and calculating, a flash of a memory of his mate, younger, hair flopper, a familiar, gruff voice snarling _"Jam this in my face."_ before his mate was suddenly grabbed and hurled, unceremoniously, to the ground. It was then that he realized what his mate meant to do. And he kept his face a neutral mask.

"You think you mean anything to him," Malcolm growled, giving Oliver a hard look. "He will not mourn if I squeeze this trigger and send you to meet your father. He will not care. One less pawn in his game. One less piece of canon fodder. You mean _nothing_ to him."

"Maybe," Oliver replied, going along with the ruse that he was nothing but a member of the League. Nothing but the pawn Malcolm seemed to consider him to be. "But you're forgetting something."

Malcolm sneered.

"And what is that?"

Oliver grinned, almost mirroring the way he remembered Slade grinning when the older Omega had first told him _"I like swords."_

"You murdered my father."

Without warning Oliver moved, catching the hand holding the gun, twisting it so the gun was aimed just to the left and in the same movement yanked Malcolm forward, slamming his shoulder into the older man's chest, using the Alpha's sudden forward momentum to his advantage and flipping Malcolm over his shoulder, driving him into the floor while tugging the gun from his lax grip. Breaking it down even as he stood over Malcolm.

"You're lucky my master wants to kill you himself," Oliver growled, tossing the pieces of the gun aside. "Otherwise I'd put three in your skull."

Malcolm, though winded, suddenly snarled and rolled, snatching the letter opener up from when it had fallen and, with a twist, struck out at Oliver, catching the Omega in the shoulder, driving the letter opener in to the handle.

Oliver howled even as Moira cried his name, Sara's growling drowned out by Ra's sudden roar as he leapt for Malcolm even as Oliver dropped to his knees, clutching as his shoulder. Sara rushed to his side even as Moira knelt, hands pressing just below the letter opener, trying to staunch the flow of blood even as she sobbed.

Ra's and Malcolm came together like a hurricane.

Full force and vicious.

For every strike that Malcolm managed to land Ra's landed two.

Despite all of his training Malcolm was barely able to hold his own against Ra's who, snarling, drove the younger Alpha back time and time again.

When Malcolm attempted to sweep low, thinking no doubt to take Ra's feet out from under him the older Alpha snarled and danced back a step before spinning, delivering a power roundhouse kick to Malcolm's face. The blow was fierce, a loud crack filling the air, and blood spilled down Malcolm's face from his broken nose even as the Alpha howled, staggering, one hand lifting unconsciously, pressing against his face.

Ra's growled and pressed his advantage, each punch well placed, driving Malcolm to the floor.

Panting for breath, Ra's took a slight step back, for, as much as he wished to beat Malcolm to death, this was not the place to kill the man.

"It is over, Al Sa-her," Ra's rumbled darkly, everything in his being demanding he kill the bastard for daring to inflict harm upon his mate. The deep, primal part of himself that he had long kept in check, demanded more than a little blood for Malcolm's cowardly attack on Oliver.

Malcolm shook his head, gasping for breath, pulling his hand away from his face, grinning with a mouth full of blood.

"You...You haven't won...yet..." Malcolm's grin was wicked and he moved his blood covered hand, pressing a finger to his watch.

The explosion that suddenly rocked the house was the last thing Ra's had expected.


	56. Chapter 56

Oliver's ears rang and he coughed as dust and smoke settled heavily around him.

Everything was hazy and he felt someone against him, their arms wrapped around him and, through the ringing, he thought he heard them trying to speak but he couldn't make out the words. Blinking against the dust and haze he looked around. Where the hell was everyone? His heart began to beat faster. Where was Ra's? Where was his Alpha? Panic began to creep in only to ebb slightly when he felt his mate brush against his mind through their Bond.

Shaking his head he felt someone pressing against his shoulder, which throbbed sharply, and his mind began to return to its proper level of function, and he recalled the stab wound, the damn letter opener Malcolm had stabbed him with, and he looked down at it, finding his shirt soaked with blood and a pair of slender hands pressing, not hard enough, not properly, trying to stop the bleeding.

He blinked and, in a rush, his hearing came back.

"Oliver?! Oliver, speak to me, sweetheart!" 

Moira's voice was panicked and when Oliver looked up at her he saw her hair was messed, either from the explosion or throwing herself over him to shield him he wasn't sure, and her cheek was streaked with what was likely ash and tears streamed like tiny rivers down her face.

"Ollie?!" Sara's voice was suddenly right in his ear and he looked to find her kneeling next to him. It was clear she had been thrown back by the blast, her cast was cracked and, from a cut above her right eye, blood was dripping down her face. "Ollie, say something!"

A deep rumble, fierce and wild, caused Sara to shift, to look away and Oliver followed her gaze, watching his Alpha, who had clearly been closer to the source of the blast, slowly shove a piece of broken doorframe from him, picking himself slowly, carefully, off of the floor. Ra's appeared uninjured but then Oliver saw the gash, vicious looking and bleeding, across the Alpha's thigh and he couldn't help the way he whined.

The sound, it seemed, enough to cause Ra's to freeze for a moment, his gaze darting around, searching for Malcolm no doubt, before he looked at Oliver.

The Alpha's growl was pitched low and Moira let out a startled sound when, suddenly, Ra's was invading Oliver's space, hands reaching out, one running over the Omega's side while the other gently cupped his jaw. The Alpha let out a low, rumbling growl as his gaze dipped, taking in the obvious injury to his mate, and Oliver, despite the soft whine from his mother, reached up with a shaky hand to brush his fingers, lightly, through the hair at Ra's temple, pushing through their Bond, letting his Alpha truly feel him, letting the older man know that, despite the wound, he was okay. That their pup was okay.

"MOM?! OLLIE?!"

Sudden footsteps from down the hall, accompanied by the frantic sound of his sister's voice, caused Oliver to twitch and he looked towards the door even as he heard a voice, Roy's, urging Thea to wait, that there could still be danger, but it was clear from the footsteps, now running towards the room, that Thea, headstrong and stubborn, refused to listen and, within a heartbeat, she appeared in the broken doorway, right behind her was, almost surprisingly, Nyssa.

Nyssa let out a low sound, surveying the damage in the room, finding it to be minimal compared to the hallway and the room just down the hall. Seeing Oliver and her father, injured, bleeding, caused her to rumble faintly.

" _Abbun_ ," she breathed, taking a small step forward, concern all but bleeding from her but whatever else she meant to say was overshadowed by Thea rushing forward.

She knelt alongside Ra's and seemed to take stock of the situation before yanking the scarf from around her neck, surprising everyone by pressing the fabric to Ra's thigh, ignoring his faint growl.

"Idiot," she hissed at the elder Alpha, pointedly ignoring her mother's almost chastising murmur of her name. "You gotta put pressure on that or you'll do something stupid like bleed out or something and then where will that leave Ollie, huh?" She gave Ra's a sharp look, earning one from him that only softened when she unexpectedly pressed her shoulder to his even as Nyssa barked out orders in Arabic to the men with her. "You can't...You can't do that, you ancient dumbass. You...You can't. Okay?"

She waited until Ra's gave the faintest nod before her sharp gaze, still filled with tears, turned to Oliver.

"And you! You...You can't go getting stabbed!" She practically shouted the words even as Nyssa and the others approached. "You can't go doing stupid shit either! God, when Roy pulled up to the house and...and I saw the smoke...and the guard said you were here...damnit, Ollie, I cannot lose you again!"

"Speedy," Oliver started but Moira cut him off suddenly.

"Would someone," the Queen family matriarch snarled sharply. "Tell me what the hell is going on?!"

"An explanation is due," Nyssa said sounding so diplomatic, drawing Moira's gaze, which narrowed as the older woman recognized her. "But first my father and Oliver need to have their injuries tended to." Something in the wall groaned and Nyssa twitched. "Preferably someplace in this house that is not under threat of possible collapse."

It took a few minutes longer than Oliver would have liked but Al Thi'b insisted on slow movement, not wanting to remove the letter opener from the Omega's shoulder until they were settled somewhere that he could properly tend to the wound, and, despite all his growling to the contrary, walking was painful for Ra's, given the injury to his leg and, though he thought it made him appear weak, he had to lean against Sayad.

Once they were in the front sitting room, just off from the main entryway, Oliver was settled in one chair while Ra's sat in another. Moira stood, tensely, by her son's side, wanting, as any parent would, to help her child but not knowing how to do so without making things worse. Al Thi'b, however, knew his task well, having patched Oliver up numerous times in the past, crossed the room, grabbing a decanter of scotch before returning to where Oliver was, trusting Sayad and Nyssa to tend to Ra's.

"Is that really necessary," Moira all but snapped as Al Thi'b yanked the stopper out of the decanter, passing the bottle to Oliver.

"Have you ever tried stitching up a man who has no way of numbing the pain," Al Thi'b asked with a grin and he carefully cut Oliver's shirt away from the wound. "It is easier if they can remain..."

Thea let out a low sound, yanking the decanter from Oliver's grasp, giving Al Thi'b a dark scowl.

"You forget liquor and him shouldn't be mixed right now," the female Alpha snarled. "There's got to be..."

Oliver let out a huff of breath and snatched the decanter back and, before Thea, or anyone else could stop him, took a long swig, ignoring her growl, and the feeling of Ra's disapproval through their Bond, as he looked at Al Thi'b and giving a slow nod.

"Get this damn thing out of my shoulder," he growled, hearing Ra's let out a low sound, not quite a growl but near enough, as Sayad cleaned the Alpha's wound. He ignored his Alpha, as best he could, though he still felt the trickle of disapproval through the Bond.

Without a word of warning Al Thi'b did as Oliver had ordered.

Fresh blood oozed forth and Oliver grit his teeth to keep from shouting but couldn't hold back the grunt and Al Thi'b gave him a somewhat apologetic look before pulling a kit from a pouch on his belt, quickly, efficiently, readying his needle and thread. Moira reflexively put her hands on Oliver's shoulders, trying to offer comfort, trying to be supportive when she didn't understand everything that was happening.

Al Thi'b took the decanter from him and, when he poured a slight amount over the wound, Oliver hissed and twitched slightly, fingers curling into tight fists and he heard Ra's' low growl and tried his best to ignore it as Al Thi'b began stitching up his wound. The familiar feel of the tug and pull of the needle was, surprisingly, settling and Oliver lost himself for a moment in it. When Al Thi'b finished, tying off the sutures, the man patted his thigh, grinning slightly.

"Another war wound, brother," Al Thi'b teased lightly, ignoring tthe way Moira glared at him. "At least this one is small, yes?"

Oliver chuckled. "Got lucky this time."

Ra's rumbled faintly as Sayad wrapped gauze around his injury, knowing the best thing for his master was to return to Nanda Parbat and the healing waters of the Pit.

"You should not have engaged him," the Alpha growled slightly and Oliver felt his mate's anger. "And baiting him? Taunting him? When he had a gun on you? What were the years of training for if you simply disregard it all?"

"No sacrifice, no victory," Oliver quipped and Ra's rumbled again.

The moment, however, was broken when Moira let out a low sound of her own, her hands flexing against Oliver's shoulders even as she glared daggers at Ra's.

"I believe I am owed some explanations," she snapped hotly, her gaze still fixed on Ra's, who had slowly risen to his feet, refusing Sayad's aid when the man offered. "Why exactly did Malcolm Merlyn come here today and what does it have to do with you and what the hell gives you the right to speak to my son like he's...he's some insignificant speck of dirt on your shoe?!"

Ra's regarded Moira for a moment.

At first he saw an Omega fiercely trying to protect her pup, her fear was almost palpable, but then he saw what Oliver saw. He saw the calculating tick in her eye, the way she was, subtly of course, memorizing faces, searching for weaknesses. She played the frightened mother well but Ra's had seen women like her before. Had even, decades ago, married one.

Moira was an actress.

A talented one.

She played roles and she played them very well.

It left the question of which of those roles was the true Moira Queen.

"I believe, Mrs Queen, that a proper introduction would be most beneficial," the Demon's Head said as he tilted his chin upwards, ever so slightly, a display of dominance. "I am Ra's al Ghul, master of the League of Assassins."

Moira drew a sharp breath and her grip on Oliver's shoulders tightened slightly, not enough to cause him pain but enough that he twitched, seemingly ready to bolt away from her. Before she could find her voice Ra's pressed on.

"Merlyn came here, as I suggested before his act of cowardice, to likely kill or harm you for your informing my men and myself of his still being alive. That he had time to plant an explosive device before hand suggests that he had either been here longer than you were aware or that he had had planted it sometime ago."

Moira shook her head.

"That doesn't explain why you're here. Or how you even knew he was in Starling."

"In truth we did not know of his whereabouts, I have men hunting the globe for him even now. Finding him was mere chance as Oliver sought to check on your wellbeing and I, in turn, followed him." Ra's looked, again, at Oliver. "I initially came to Starling City, Mrs Queen, to retrieve your son."

Moira growled and suddenly stepped around the chair Oliver was sitting in.

"You are _not_ taking my son anywhere," she snarled, hands curling into fists at her sides. "I don't care who...who you are, do you hear me?! He is _my_ son. And I will _not_ let you waltz in here and take him like...like he's some toy you misplaced!"

The sound Ra's made was dark, ominous and Oliver surged to his feet, ignoring the throb in his shoulder, ignoring his mother's startled sound as he moved around her, quickly, with purpose. He crossed the distance, small as it was, between him and the Alpha and immediately reached up, brushing his fingers over Ra's' temple before leaning in, nuzzling against his neck even as Ra's' hands curled around his hips, holding him close, scent marking him even as Moira sputtered in confusion.

"Oliver?!"

With a low sound Oliver turned, not surprised when one of Ra's' hands lingered on his hip, and faced his mother again. This was certainly not how he had planned to tell her this but better this way than her doing something stupid and pissing Ra's off any further than she already had. Drawing a deep breath he felt Ra's' strength through their Bond and he finally gave voice to the words he had been trying to find a way of saying ever since deciding to tell his mother the truth.

"When I told you that..." the Omega started softly, glancing at Ra's with a small smile, pretending not to see the smug way Thea was grinning, or the way she subtly gave him a thumbs up. Turning his attention back to his mother he could practically feel her shock. "When I told you I was of the League I told you that my name was Al Sa-him but I...I didn't tell you all of it."

He felt Ra's squeeze his hip and he drew strength from his mate.

"I am Al Sa-him, Habib al Ghul." He looked at Ra's. "It means...It means I am Beloved of the Demon." His smile widened slightly as he looked again at the shock on his mother's face. "He's my mate, Mom. My Alpha." He drew a shaky breath and felt Ra's push love and support through their Bond. "And the father of the pup I'm carrying."


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, everyone, I really meant to have this finished and posted a week or so ago but other things took priority.
> 
> Also, I feel this is a good time to let everyone know there will probably only be one or two chapters, three at the most, left before this fic is officially finished.

Moira stared at Oliver, eyes wide, face pale, looking as though she might collapse at any moment.

And then it was as though the cracks in the dam had finally given way and a sound, angry and disbelieving and almost savage, passed her lips. Her hands curled into fists at her sides and the look she gave Ra's was full of so much venom it was some sort of miracle that the Alpha did not immediately drop dead where he stood. Tension filled the air, thick and heavy and full of animosity that radiated from Moira in waves.

"You..." Moira growled slightly, looking from Ra's to Oliver and back again. "You disgusting piece of filth!" She took a daring step forward. "You forced yourself on him, didn't you?! There's no other way my son would take a mate old enough to be his father and certainly not the man who turned him into a killer!"

Ra's let out a low rumble and his gaze darkened even as the members of the League standing around the room glared at Moira, not liking the way she spoke to their Master.

"Mrs Queen," Ra's sounded calm, reasonable even, but Oliver could feel his mate's agitation and building rage through their Bond. "Whatever ill feelings you have towards me I will bear in full but do _not_ , Mrs Queen, dare claim that I have forced the Bond I share with your son upon him. I am, and have been, many things but that crime is not one of mine."

Moira snarled, eyes flashing, all but baring her teeth in a nasty sneer.

"You expect me to believe that?! You've...You've brainwashed him or...or he suffered from some sort of Stockholm Syndrome and you used that to your advantage!"

It was Ra's turn to snarl but Oliver quickly grabbed his mate's arm, trying to push as much calmness through their Bond as he could. Unfortunately his mother continued her ridiculous ranting.

"You've forced him to Bond with you, to be dependant or something on you, and now you've gotten him pregnant to further your hold over him! Well, I don't give a damn who you are or what organization you control, I have friends of my own and if you think I'm letting you take my son anywhere so that you can keep him under whatever brainwashing scheme you've been using I will burn you and your world to ashes!"

A series of growls erupted through the room but before anything could happen, before anyone could do anything, Oliver let out a sharp, high pitched sound, an Omega in distress, that had everyone falling silent and staring at him in shock. It was not a sound he had made in a very long time, years in fact, and out of the group in the room only Sara had ever truly heard it before and he saw the way she twitched, the way she looked at him. Like the night Shado had been killed.

"Mom," Oliver looked at Moira, who still looked furious, but also like she wanted to take him in her arms and shield him from the world. "Mom, I know...I know this is a lot...but...but Ra's didn't force me. He loves me."

Moira shook her head, clearly refusing to accept his words as truth, her mind already made up.

"That's just...just whatever trickery he's used talking," his mother said, shaking her head again. "He's made you believe this...this relationship is healthy. That what he's done to you isn't some sick, perverted..."

"There's nothing wrong with our relationship!"

Oliver's snarl rang out and Moira blinked in shock, eyes widening slightly, staring at Oliver.

His chest heaved as he panted and Ra's hand was suddenly rubbing over his back, his mate murmuring in Arabic, trying to calm him. Drawing as deep a breath as he could he tried not to let the shaking in his hands be too obvious.

"I know you don't understand," Oliver continued softly, leaning into his mate's side. "Or...Or maybe you just don't want to accept it but...but Ra's _is_ my mate."

Moira let out a low sound.

"No," she said firmly, shaking her head. "No. This isn't a true Bond. It's a lie and he has you believing that it's real! And what's worse is he's forcing you to bring a child into this madness!"

The matriarch of the Queen family let out an angry sound and practically vibrated where she stood.

"No, this...this is all some sick farce and I won't stand for it! I have access to some of the brightest doctors and scientists in the world and I swear to God I am getting Oliver the hell away from you," she jabbed her finger in Ra's direction with a sneer. "And I will find a way to break whatever Bond you've forced on him and that...that abomination you've put in him will be gotten rid of!"

Everything that happened after that happened swiftly and Oliver couldn't react quickly enough.

People, including Thea, snarled but it was Ra's who reacted in a truly violent manner.

Moira screamed as the Alpha snarled, closing the distance between them so swiftly it was difficult to track his movement and, seemingly between one heartbeat and the next, he had her backed against the nearest wall, his hand curled tightly around her throat, seemingly unfazed by her nails clawing at the exposed skin of his wrist. Her attempt to escape going unnoticed by the now enraged Alpha as he growled, low, dangerously, getting right in Moira's face as his eyes blazed with his fury.

"You dare," Ra's growled, voice pitched low, fiercer than if he had roared. Moira's eyes were wide and fear radiated from her in waves. "You dare threaten _my_ Bond with _my_ mate? You dare to threaten _my_ child? Your _son's_ child?!"

Moira whimpered, trying to shrink away, her natural instincts pulling her into flight mode.

But Ra's was not finished, his rage driving him, even as Oliver called his name, trying to step towards his mate but Al Thi'b and Sayad were swiftly there, stopping him, refusing to let him place himself in harms way. Especially when it involved an Alpha, easily one of the most lethal Alphas on the planet, worked up into a rage over his Bond and pup being threatened.

"I have slit the throats of those who have uttered even the quietest of threats against my mate," Ra's rumbled, fingers digging against Moira's skin making her whine again as her air slowly being cut off. "Mother of my _habib_ or not I should save Al Sa-her some trouble and remove you from the game. Your corpse would, I believe, send the appropriate message to any who might attempt to follow your example."

Moira let out another high pitched sound of distress and Ra's growled in reply, not put off in the least, but, perhaps most surprisingly, it was the sound of distress and fear that came, not from Moira, but Thea, that drew Ra's fiery gaze from the woman who had threatened his mate and child.

Thea stood, caught in Nyssa's hold, staring at him with wide dark eyes, silently begging for her mother's life, and in that moment he did not see Oliver's sister but another young woman. A young woman who had suffered the loss of her mother, who had born witness to that horror and been forever changed by it, and, his right or not, he could not be the one to do that to his mate's sister. He could not become a monster in her eyes. Not when she had been so willing to accept of him, his world, in her brother's life.

Slowly he drew his hand away from Moira's throat, putting distance between them, and, though tension still hung heavy in the air, he turned to face his mate, still caught between Al Thi'b and Sayad. He expected Oliver to rage at him but, the moment the two assassins let him move, Oliver was there, in his space, scent marking him, whining softly, catching hold of his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"Please," Oliver whispered even as from the corner of his eye Ra's saw Thea, now free of Nyssa's hold, rush to her mother, who had crumpled to the floor, shaking fiercely, Roy following after her, the young man watching Ra's closely. "Please, _'iishraq_ , let's...let's just go home. Please? I...I just want to go home."

Ra's gave Oliver's hand a squeeze before he nodded, waving his hand, silently signalling their people that they were leaving and none hesitated, moving to ensure the path to their waiting vehicles was clear, only Nyssa linger, Sara hovering at her side and, seeing the subtle way Nyssa glanced at Sara the Demon's Head nodded. He understood that goodbyes were not easy things and the connection Nyssa felt to Sara would likely draw his daughter back to Starling City but, for now, she would find the right moment to say her farewells and return with them to Nanda Parbat.

Without sparing Moira or Thea a look Ra's led Oliver out, pretending not to hear Moira's quiet call of her son's name.

Once in the van his men waited in Ra's tucked Oliver to his side, not surprised when he glanced back, towards the house, his confliction burning bright through their Bond. Ra's rumbled softly, trying to comfort.

"Perhaps," the Alpha said softly as the van pulled forward, heading down the long drive. "Perhaps in time she will come to at least pretend to accept us, _habib_." 

Ra's had his doubts, many of them, but he needed to comfort Oliver in some manner. His mate, however, huffed and shook his head.

"I told you she wouldn't accept this." Oliver met Ra's gaze. "I...I was prepared for that it just..."

"She is still your mother, _habib_ ," Ra's replied gently, rubbing his thumb over the back of Oliver's hand. "Her rejection was going to hurt whether you knew it would come or not. But...perhaps it will be as I said. Perhaps with time things might change."

Oliver huffed and Ra's could have sworn he heard the Omega say something similar to _I seriously doubt that_ but Oliver pressed into his side, head resting against his shoulder and Ra's chose simply to focus on the presence of his mate. The flare of light and warmth and love through their Bond.

Finally, after what had felt like an eternity, they were going home.

Together.


	58. Chapter 58

The drive to the airstrip was quiet and, with each passing second, tension bled away.

Oliver relaxed completely against Ra's, head tucked against the Alpha's shoulder and he was all but purring as his mate's hand rubbed gentle circles over his back. He had started to doze off when the van finally came to a stop and he heard Al Thi'b say something about the plane being fully fuelled and ready to go. 

Twitching slightly Oliver slowly lifted his head, blinking almost owlishly, and he wasn't surprised when Ra's pressed a quick kiss to his temple before climbing from the van, waiting by the door for him to follow. As he emerged from the van he nearly immediately spotted Slade and Chase standing not too far off, it appeared the pair were bickering with Slade waving his uninjured hand at Chase, clearly trying to shoo the young Alpha away and Oliver couldn't help but smile.

He knew Slade well enough to know that, despite Slade's outward grumpiness, the Omega wasn't as put out by Chase's closeness as he was trying to let on. He recognized Slade's attempt at his old _you can't trust anyone but yourself_ and, as he watched, Al Sayf joined the pair, nudging Chase with his uninjured shoulder before reaching out to flick at Slade's ear, earning a growl in response from the Omega.

Oliver watched the scene unfold and felt a warmth uncurl in his belly that quickly spread throughout his entire being.

This.

This was his family.

The trio before him, the mate at his side, the countless brothers and sisters he had gained by accepting Nyssa's offer to go to Nanda Parbat all those years ago.

His mother might not be able to accept him, to accept his life or his chosen family, but this was it.

He felt Ra's' sudden surge of love through their Bond, his mate no doubt sensing his emotions, and he was quick to take the older man's hand, lacing their fingers together as they made their way towards the plane. They were nearly there when a car stopped next to the van and Oliver heard a voice, his sister's voice, call out to him. He turned, watching Thea climb from the car, closely followed by Nyssa and Roy, and he released Ra's' hand to move to embrace his sister.

"I'm sorry," Thea whispered against his uninjured shoulder, clinging to him, and Oliver shook his head, pressing his cheek to her hair. "I'm...I'm sorry...I...I never thought she...I didn't..."

Oliver shook his head again and hugged her tighter.

"It's okay, Speedy. It's okay."

It was Thea's turn to shake her head.

"No. No, she...she said...and I just _stood_ there and did nothing! I didn't...I didn't even say anything!"

Oliver pressed a kiss to Thea's temple.

"That's not your fault," he rumbled faintly, rubbing a hand over her back, sensing more than seeing Ra's step up to them. "She...No one expected her to react that way."

"I still should have _done something_."

"I will hear no more of this," Ra's suddenly spoke, causing Thea to twitch and lift her head to look at him, clearly expecting the worst, but Ra's reached out and gently touched her shoulder. "You did nothing wrong, my dear. Nothing. You're mother's reaction was unexpected, to say the least, but you could not have been prepared for the severity of it. That does not reflect poorly on you but on her." The elder Alpha's gaze was soft and Thea stared up at him with tear filled eyes. "You could not have realized, my dear, but it was for you that I spared your mother."

Thea blinked and, through their Bond, Oliver felt a trickle of Ra's still lingering rage, along with the barest hint of a memory of a woman he knew well.

"You..." Thea blinked again, clearly confused and surprised, and Ra's gave the faintest nods.

"I know a young woman who lost her mother to the brutality of an Alpha," Ra's explained, though perhaps a bit vaguely. "I saw how it changed her, how it stripped the light from her eyes and the love from her heart. I would not do that to the sister of my _habib_. Not in this lifetime, my dear."

Thea stared at Ra's for a moment before yanking from Oliver's arms and all but launching herself into the elder Alpha's.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she chanted, tears finally spilling down her face even as she hiccupped lightly. "I know she...I know she comes across as cold but...but she..."

Ra's hugged Thea tightly for a moment.

"She is still your mother," he supplied and she nodded as she slowly stepped back, brushing the tears from her cheeks as Roy suddenly appeared at her side, Thea quickly, easily, accepting his offered hand.

"Thank you," Thea said again before looking at Oliver. "I guess you're leaving, huh?"

Oliver nodded.

"It's time I go home, Speedy," he said softly, reaching out to tuck Thea's hair behind her ear. "Besides," he glanced at Roy. "You've got plenty of folks to look out for you in my stead."

Roy gave a nod, his expression saying it all, he would do anything, everything, to protect and take care of Thea. It made leaving a little easier for Oliver, knowing someone besides Sara would be keeping an eye on his sister.

Drawing a deep breath Oliver pulled Thea into one more hug, lingering, not wanting to let go, wanting more than anything to just take her with him to Nanda Parbat but that wasn't a life for her. She was made for light and hope and all the possible futures that could be found in Starling. She wasn't made for the shadows and dangers that even being associated with the League brought. He wanted more, better, than that for her. He kissed her temple and stepped back even as she clung to his arm for a moment before stepped back into Roy's waiting arms.

"I'll come back," Oliver said with a faint smile. "Next time we see each other you'll probably be able to hold the baby and teach him or her all the bad habits you can."

Thea laughed and Oliver felt his heart lighten. He didn't want to part from her but he took comfort in knowing that he would see her again.

"I love you, Speedy," he said, smiling even as he felt tears prickle at his eyes, quickly blinking them away.

"Love you more, Ollie," Thea replied with their old childhood saying and he couldn't help but laugh softly before stepping towards the plane, surprised when Ra's did not immediately join him. Looking to his Alpha he started to frown but felt the sudden surge of reassurance through the Bond.

"I would speak to your sister for but a moment, _habib_ ," Ra's explained with a gentle smile. "I will join you and the others shortly."

Oliver nodded and gave Thea one final smile before he turned and continued to the plane, not surprised when Slade and Chase fell into step to either side of him while Al Sayf took up the rear. Walking up the ramp of the plane he drew a deep breath and tried not to let the shaking in his hands show as he slowly took a seat. He had never thought, all those months ago, when he'd run, that the path he had chosen would lead here.

When Chase settled next to him he looked at the younger man, seeing the love and admiration shining in the young Alpha's eyes and he smiled gently.

"I'm glad you're here," Oliver said softly as Slade claimed the seat next to Chase while the young Alpha leaned slightly against him. He looked from Chase to Slade and then to the other assassins now aboard the plane. "All of you."

There were several nods, some smiles, and a few quiet murmurs of brotherhood and family as Ra's, flanked by Nyssa and Sayad, boarded the plane. When his Alpha sat next to him, the ramp of the plane slowly rising, Oliver couldn't help but lean into him, not surprised when Ra's' arm wrapped protectively around him, pulling him closer. 

As his Alpha pressed a quick kiss to his temple Oliver couldn't help but feel that this was the way things had always been meant to be.


	59. Chapter 59

Nanda Parbat was just as Oliver remembered.

Ancient and imposing but with an underlying current of home and family woven so deeply into the stones that it would never be lost.

He smiled as he walked the long corridor from the entrance to the great hall that served as the primary training ground for new recruits. He so clearly remembered the first time he had walked the path and how that walk, a walk to find justice and balance for the world, had led him to a future he could never have dreamt of.

They had arrived in time for the afternoon training and, though he still wasn't certain that returning to a life of killing, even for justice and order, was his path, Oliver was interested to see how the new initiates were holding up to the seasoned League members in charge of their training. He also wanted to see if, perhaps, there was one or two he might be able to personally tutor with a bow for, while all League members learned it, very few were skilled, or patient, enough for it to be their primary weapon.

As he entered the great hall he was surprised when several of the instructors, men and women who served the League loyally for years, some for decades, turned towards him.

He felt a lump start to form in his throat and tension filled his limps but he was surprised when several moved to greet him, gentle words of welcoming from those he saw as his family. He was, perhaps, most surprised when Ana, the healer, approached him even as Ra's moved to greet his men and receive their progress reports of the training and missions.

"Welcome home, _Habib_ ," Ana said softly, hugging him, patting his arm in a grandmotherly manner. "I see you have not come back empty handed." She glanced passed him to Slade, who was taking every thing in with a sharp gaze that still spoke of the soldier he had once been. "Nor, if my nose has not stopped working properly, with an empty belly."

Oliver felt a blush burn across his face.

"Ana..."

The healer smiled and patted his arm again.

"It is still a subtle change, _Habib_ ," she explained as Ra's glanced their way. "But I have brought many pups into this world and I know the earliest of signs. The sweetness in your scent for example."

Oliver's blush intensified and suddenly Ra's was at his side.

"Are you perhaps tormenting my mate, Ana," the Alpha rumbled teasingly and Ana huffed, rolling her eyes boldly at the Demon's Head, no more concerned with his title or status than she was with the changing of the seasons.

"I have not begun to torment him, boy," was the curt reply the healer gave. "Wait until he begins to show, when he is carrying the pup you put in him low like all first time dames, and then you will see me torment him. Endless amounts of torment involving proper diet and rest, I assure you both."

Oliver felt his blush spread beyond his face, his ears and neck now burning, and felt the surge of support through the Bond even as Ra's took his hand in his.

"So the same torment all those who have carried pups before him have suffered then," Ra's asked and Ana huffed a raspy, quiet laugh.

"All that and perhaps more." Ana grinned at Oliver before once more patting his arm. "Ah, do not look so worried, _Habib_. You are home now, with loving mate and family to help you in all that is to come."

Oliver nodded and looked at Ra's, who gave him a barely there smile, before letting his mate lead him from the great hall towards their private chambers.

It did not take long for word of Oliver's pregnancy to spread among the League.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Three days later and Oliver was doing his best not to snap at his mate.

Ra's had, publically of course, banned him from training or helping to train new initiates.

It was, Oliver knew, a precaution. His Alpha did not want to risk him or their pup being harmed because, as Ra's had so elegantly put it, training did not always go as all hoped it would. It had not helped that as he'd said it the Alpha had looked at Oliver as though to remind him that, during Oliver's days as an initiate, Oliver himself had been the cause of a few of those not planned for incidents.

Grumbling under his breath as he slowly made his way towards the main training hall he tried not to be bitter. It wasn't Ra's fault. Not really. The Alpha was driven to protect him and their pup.

That did not mean, of course, that Oliver was going go around acting like he was thrilled by the recent turn of events.

Entering the training hall he pretended not to notice his mate, near the head of the room, overseeing the training, and crossed the room to settle on the floor beneath the high windows. He folded his legs beneath him, settling easily into the lotus position, as though readying himself to meditate, and, mindful of his still injured shoulder, his mate was wary of letting him near the healing waters of the Pit on the chance it did something to their pup, he leaned back against the wall to watch the new initiates.

There were few with any raw skill, the sort that he knew Ra's truly favoured, the sort that could be properly harnessed and honed until the person was like a living weapon. But a young woman, Asian, hair cut short, demonstrated the sort of talent that the Demon's Head looked for in initiates. It was clear she had some minor martial arts training but against the two League members testing her skills she was no match. He watched as the woman hit the floor, over and over, but she kept getting back up.

He smiled slightly, continuing to watch her, seeing how she instinctively corrected her stance once back on her feet, moving as prompted, learning silently even as she fought for her place in a world so far beyond anything she could have ever known before.

Oliver was pulled from his thoughts when someone suddenly settled next to him.

He scented the air quickly, reflexively, relaxing when he recognized Slade's scent, though it bore hints of Chase's and Al Sayf's, and he slowly turned his attention to the older Omega.

Slade quirked an eyebrow at him.

"You going to sulk long, kid?"

Oliver frowned. "I'm not sulking."

"Oh? Then this isn't you sitting over here, ignoring your mate, pretending everything is fine and dandy while silently stewing in your own head?"

Oliver's frown deepened and he felt Ra's immediately brush against his mind through their Bond and, despite his upset over recent events, he immediately pushed back with calm reassurance. He was angry, yes, but he didn't want that anger to be yet another issue between them. There would be plenty of issues to come, especially as Oliver's pregnancy progressed, but he didn't want this to be one.

Sighing softly and he slowly shook his head.

"It's just...I don't like being sidelined like this."

Slade grunted. "You want to take the chance some punk hits you wrong and does something to that pup?"

Oliver shot Slade a look.

"You sound like Ra's."

Again the older Omega grunted.

"Smart man, your Alpha," Slade mused, pretending not to notice the somewhat betrayed way Oliver looked at him. "Can't say I wouldn't do the same if I were him."

"You..."

"You can't tell me, stupid as you can be, that you're actually willing to take that chance. Not after everything you've already been through, kid."

Oliver frowned and glanced away from Slade.

"It's not...I..." Oliver shook his head. "I don't like having my choice taken away. Went through that enough before I came here...before Ra's and I Bonded. I just...I wish he would have just talked to me first."

Slade huffed.

"Alphas don't always act in the most rational ways, kid." The dark haired Omega nodded to where Chase was showing an initiate how to stand to deflect a frontal assault. "That one isn't any different. He growled at a woman who stood too close to me this morning. And I seem to have grown a second shadow since we got here."

Oliver did not need to look to know what Slade was talking about.

He had noticed Al Sayf's presence a few feet away the moment after Slade had settled next to him.

"Not exactly comforting, Slade."

Slade grunted again and shook his head.

"Nothing I, or anyone else for that bloody matter, say will change how you're feeling right now, kid," he said as he watched Chase for a moment, the young Alpha dropping the initiate he had been sparing with to the floor. "You're going to have spats with your mate for the rest of your life. Deal with 'em and move past it."

Oliver gave the older Omega an unimpressed stare, a childish part of him refusing to accept what Slade was saying for a moment, before he sighed and relaxed, looking across the room, watching Ra's correct a man's stance with a firm word. He smiled as he watched the man he loved move about the room, slowly, guiding both initiates and full members of the League with simple instruction that were never ignored because of the respect built by the mere legend of Ra's al Ghul.

He remembered the feeling of being an initiate, having Ra's being the one to correct him, to guide him, and as he watched Ra's approach the young woman he had been watching earlier he couldn't help but smile even as the woman bowed her head respectfully to the Alpha before he carefully guided her to settle into a better stance, saying how the strength she needed came not only from her body but from the very ground beneath her feet.

Oliver chuckled, remembering hearing a very similar expression from his mate, and wasn't surprised when Ra's glanced at him, briefly, before returning his attention to his duty as leader of the League.

"Yeah," he heard Slade muse and gave the older Omega a look. "This spat isn't going to last long."

Oliver huffed.

"Not all of us hold grudges for five years."

Slade grinned at him and Oliver couldn't help it when he cracked a grin in return.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while after that, watching the training, Slade only slipping away when Ra's finally approached his mate.

Oliver said nothing as Ra's settled next to him, choosing to watch the Alpha out of the corner of his eye while he pretended to still be interested in the initiates. After a moment Ra's reached over, taking hold of Oliver's hand, rubbing his fingers gently over the Omega's knuckles. Oliver hummed softly as he finally turned his attention to his Alpha.

"I'm still mad at you," the Omega muttered, as he leaned closer to Ra's. "Just so you know."

Ra's smiled slightly, the barest upturning of his lips, and he nodded.

"I can feel that, _habib_ ," Ra's replied. "And while I understand your position I hope that you also understand mine."

Oliver sighed and gave a faint nod.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to be happy about it," he grumbled and Ra's nodded his understanding. "But...Slade was right...I don't want to risk anything happening to our pup. And if that means I'm benched then...well...I'll get over it. Eventually."

Ra's lifted Oliver's hand, brushing a soft kiss to the back of the Omega's knuckles, feeling the honesty of Oliver's words through their Bond.

"I am glad we have reached a place in our mating where you feel comfortable talking to me of these things, _habib_ ," the Alpha said softly, watching the way Oliver's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, the Omega's gaze darting away for a moment. "I do not like it when you are angry with me."

Oliver huffed.

"I don't like being angry with you," the Omega admitted as he met Ra's' gaze again, smiling softly at his mate.

Ra's leaned forward, pressing his forehead to Oliver's in a tender gesture of love, it was as intimate as the Alpha would be while in the company of his men and new initiates. Oliver smiled and accepted it just as he would accept a kiss.

"I love you, _'iishraq_ ," Oliver whispered as he reached up, gently cupping Ra's' cheek, thumb sweeping over his mate's stubble. Stubble which, the Omega mused, was quickly becoming more of a beard than actual stubble. "Even when we drive each another crazy."

Ra's chuckled.

"As I love you, _habib_. In this life and the next."

Someone, one of the older members of the League, called from across the room to Ra's.

The Alpha sighed and his gaze said it all. Ra's would rather stay with Oliver but the Omega smiled and shook his head.

"Go," Oliver said softly. "I will be here waiting when you finish the day's lessons."

The Alpha rumbled faintly as he rose to his feet, turning and moving easily through the crowd, returning to his duties while Oliver watched.

He smiled when Ra's would look his way, silently checking on him, and when he felt Ra's brush against his mind, their Bond flaring with light and love, his smile widened and he pushed back with love.


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the final chapter. The end of this wonderful ride that I started almost a year and a half ago. It has been amazing sharing this with all of you and I am so thankful for everyone who has stuck by this story and provided kind words of support. I wanted this chapter to serve not only as an ending but as a stepping stone towards a sequel that will, hopefully, be available sooner rather than later.
> 
> Until then, I thank everyone again for every comment and kudos. Your support helped in so many different ways.

Days later found Oliver out in the fields that surrounded Nanda Parbat, lounging in the sun, enjoying the warmth and the scent of the wild flowers all around him. He felt rather like a large cat sunbathing and, content as he was, it was easy to pretend he was completely alone and not shadowed by four members of the League, Sayad and Al Thi'b among the four. He hadn't argued when his mate had insisted on the guards, even so close to their home, knowing the only way he was likely to escape the walls of the fortress was to simply agree to the presence of the guards.

Drawing a deep breath, nose filling with the aroma of the flowers, he nearly missed the other scent. Rich and strong like pine trees in a thunderstorm mixed with a hint of coconut and jasmine.

One he hadn't smelled in a very long time.

Turning his head he couldn't help the smile that slowly stole across his face.

"You still wear the same perfume."

Dark eyes sparkled beneath an equally dark hood and a smile graced that pretty face as the woman slowly pushed her hood back, completely at ease as she stood a few feet from him.

"I was not certain you would catch my scent."

He chuckled softly.

"I almost didn't." He patted the blanket next to him and she slowly, almost hesitantly, sat, watching his guards for a moment before her gaze fixed once more on him. "It's been a long time."

She nodded and looked across the field to the fortress.

"It feels so strange," she mused softly. "I swore to never return to this place."

Oliver regarded her for a moment.

"Why did you? Come back, I mean."

That dark gaze, familiar and foreign all at once, turned to him again and her smile did not waver.

"I may have left but there are those here still who, though they are loyal to Ra's al Ghul and you, love me still. They whispered to me of the pup you carry." Her gaze dipped to his abdomen, as though trying to see some sign of the life growing within. "And, whatever may lie between us, Al Sa-him, I would not have that pup know anything but my acceptance and love. A part of it is a part of me, after all."

Oliver smiled and nodded.

"But you don't want Ra's to know you're here."

She shrugged. "I am not returning, Al Sa-him," she said as she plucked a flower, turning it gently between her fingers. "I will never return to the League. I am..." She smiled. "I am much happier with my life now. And I would take it as a kindness if you did not tell him I was here at all."

Oliver nodded and looked at his guards. "You heard the lady, boys, she wasn't here."

Sayad didn't even lift his head from where he was sharpening his sword and Al Thi'b grunted before he, and another of the guards, spoke in unison.

"What lady?"

Oliver chuckled and the woman grinned as she relaxed a little more, content that her presence would go unnoticed, and turned her attention back to Oliver.

"I heard rumours that Al Sa-her is alive and that you crossed paths in Starling City," she said as she studied his face for a moment. "Is this true?"

Oliver hesitated but in the end slowly nodded.

"Had a scuffle. Ra's still has men hunting the world for him."

The woman hummed and seemed to consider that.

"I trust, given the threat he and others pose, that you plan to raise the pup here?"

"Don't think Ra's would consider anywhere else."

She chuckled and shook her head.

"He would if you were the one to ask." She plucked another flower and, slowly, began weaving a flower crown. "But there is no place in all the world as safe as Nanda Parbat, as you well know, and, if you had answered me differently I might have taken it upon myself to punch you in the face."

Oliver snorted, not doubting her words for a moment, watching as she carefully, easily, wove the flowers together.

"I want my pup growing up here," he admitted quietly. "In the place where his siblings grew. The place his father grew."

The woman hummed thoughtfully.

"It is still too early for you to know the pup is a boy."

Oliver shrugged.

"Omega intuition."

The woman chuckled as she placed the flower crown upon his head. "Well, whatever sort of intuition it may be, I am merely glad you will be safe for the coming months."

Oliver smirked.

"If I didn't know any better I'd think you actually had a heart."

She swatted his shoulder.

"Then it is a good thing that you know me better," she mused before pressing a kiss to his temple as she stood. "Take care of yourself and that precious pup, Al Sa-him."

She turned and walked away, going as easily, and silently, as she had come.

Oliver watched her as she disappeared around a cropping of rock before turning his attention to Sayad who had moved to join him.

 

**_oOoOoOo_ **

 

Beyond the rocks the woman who had once called Nanda Parbat home made her way to the waiting truck, not surprised that her second-in-command was standing there, waiting for her.

"What news, sister?"

The woman huffed out a breath, flicking her hood back, meeting the sharp gaze of the large man with her chin tilted upwards.

"Al Sa-her lives," she said as they walked towards the truck in sync, theirs was a bond not of mates but pack. An older sort of bond. Feral in its intensity. "And he attacked Al Sa-him in America."

"Ra's al Ghul would have called for his death for that alone but I sense there is something more."

"The whispers of Al Sa-him being with child are true," she replied as she glanced at her man. "Al Sa-her's attack risked not only the life of Al Sa-him but a pup fathered by the Demon's Head."

The man let out a deep, furious rumble that reminded her of rocks crumbling from a mountain top.

"And what, sister, do you seek to do?"

A smile, cold, calculating and cruel spread across the woman's face as she climbed into the truck.

"I am going to hunt Al Sa-her until he has no where left to run," she said as her man climbed into the truck beside her, the driver starting the engine quickly. "And then I will show him the hell I crawled from before I take his head and deliver it as a gift for the pup he so foolishly placed in harms way."

"And the other thing?"

She reached between them and picked up a folder, flipping it open and staring at the photograph of a man, blonde hair and blue eyed and looking like a cat who ate a canary, and a scowl overtook her face.

"He is a threat as much as Al Sa-her," she growled out. "He and his mockery of the League and its legacy. But one that is much trickier to handle than Al Sa-her. We must tread carefully, my brother, for the sake of those we seek to protect."

She stared a moment longer at the photograph before she flipped the folder shut.

She may have left the League, may have made a grand show of casting Ra's al Ghul from her life and heart, but she was a daughter of Nanda Parbat all the same. It was in her blood. Just as that same blood flowed in the veins of the pup Oliver carried.

All who stood as a threat to that innocent child would soon discover that, though she was no longer of the League, she still stood as the sword Ra's al Ghul and Nanda Parbat had forged her to be.

She would safeguard her family.

At any, and all, cost.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Every Wound Will Shape Me Banner](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7987000) by [TouchoftheWind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TouchoftheWind/pseuds/TouchoftheWind)




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